The Christmas lights switching-on event in Orihuela Costa, on Thursday turned into a demonstration led by the Unidos por la Costa association. The group gathered to blow whistles in protest at the perceived neglect of the coastline by the city council.
The event began at Plaza del Oriol, outside the Coastal Town Hall in Playa Flamenca. A music band, local police, and Civil Guard officers were present to manage the crowd and close off the street.
At the start of the event, the mayor, Pepe Vegara (PP), Councillor for Festivities Rocío Ortuño (PP), Councillor for the Coast and First Deputy Mayor Manuel Mestre (Vox), along with advisors and local councillors, walked the short distance to the Mercadona roundabout where, rather than it’s usual spot in front of the town hall, the Christmas tree was set up.
Mayor Vegara, with remote control in hand, initiated the countdown and the lights were switched on. The moment was marked by a blend of Christmas music and the sound of whistles from the protesters.
The Unidos por la Costa association, led by Tomás Moreno, had distributed about 80 whistles, all of which were used during the protest. Videos showed a member of the municipal delegation encouraging the band to play louder, seemingly to drown out the whistles while members of the Guardia Civil and Local Police took photographs of a number of peaceful protesters.
The municipal delegation, which included a number of Los alcaldes pedáneos, seemingly unperturbed by the demonstration, posed for a photo by the Christmas tree and then moved into the town hall, accompanied by the band, where a small, but well-constructed, municipal nativity scene was on display.
Throughout the event, the protesters continued to shout and blow whistles, carrying signs with slogans like “We pay, we expect equality” and “We demand action, not empty promises”.
Former pedáneo and current leader of the political party CLARO, Antonio Cerdán, and the president of the Party for the Independence of Orihuela Costa (PIOC), Román Jiménez, were among the residents participating in the protest.
Unidos por la Costa had previously summoned its members through a WhatsApp message, urging attendance due to the lack of progress seen in improving local services and infrastructure more than 18 months into the government’s term.
The association, with almost 1000 members and 10,000 followers on Facebook, recently published a manifesto criticising the PP-Vox government for years of neglect and inadequate management, leaving the accumulated deficit of services difficult to address. They highlighted that none of the planned investments in the 2024 budget have so far been tendered.
Focusing on Christmas, Unidos por la Costa stated that Orihuela Costa residents are treated as second-class citizens, with 80% of the Christmas activity budget allocated to the city. They claimed the late and poorly funded light switch-on, so soon after the lavish ceremony held in Orihuela city, was the final straw.
