Overview

• The joint mobilization, led by the Asociación Pola Defensa da Ría da Pontevedra and local platforms from Pontevedra, Arousa and Ulloa, drew thousands of participants supported by environmental groups including Greenpeace and Adega.
• Speakers warned that Altri’s macrocellulose plant could release over 60 tons of chemicals daily into the Ulla River, putting the Ría de Arousa’s ecosystem and some 15,000 to 20,000 fishing and seafood jobs at risk.
• Organizers such as Pilar Naveira and Alfredo Otero condemned both factories as remnants of an outdated economic model that undermines public health, biodiversity and stable employment.
• Local politicians, notably BNG leader Ana Pontón and Pontevedra Mayor Miguel Fernández Lores, condemned the Xunta de Galicia’s backing of the cellulose projects and called for a shift to cleaner industries.
• Protesters pledged to maintain pressure through legal challenges, street actions and alliances with local communities until authorities scrap both the Ence concession in Lourizán and Altri’s project in A Ulloa.