Overview

• The protest involved over 100 rafts, kayaks, and canoes descending the Ulla River to denounce Altri's proposed pulp mill and the planned reopening of the Touro-O Pino copper mine.
• Environmental groups warn the projects could harm the Ulla basin's ecosystem, degrade water quality, and endanger the Ría de Arousa’s vital shellfishing industry.
• The Ulla-Deza river system, a protected Natura 2000 zone serving over 200,000 residents, was the focal point of the demonstration.
• Pilar Naveira of Plataforma Ulloa Viva emphasized that excluding Altri's project from the national decarbonization fund isolates the Xunta de Galicia in its support for the project.
• Further protests are planned, including a May 8 rally at the Spanish Congress in Madrid and a June 1 march in Pontevedra under the slogan 'Ni Ence en la ría, ni Altri en la Ulloa.'