The Stop Guggenheim Urdaibai Platform has appeared to publicize the demonstration against the project of building a museum in the Astra region in Gernika (Bizkaia). This Saturday, 28, the “noisy” demonstration will start from the Paseo de Gernika and have called all the citizens “responsible for this project” to mobilize. In general, they will denounce that this project responds to “private needs” and demand that the institutions and parties being heard take responsibility for its consequences.

The museum is intended to be built in the Urdaibai biosphere reserve, with an area of 60,000 square meters divided into two buildings: one at Gernika Lumo, on the site of the former Dalia factory and the other at the Murueta shipyard. Eider Gotxi, a member of the platform, is concerned about the situation in the region and believes that this project could worsen the picture: "They have proposed to bring 140,000 tourists. That would be a destruction to our environment." It stresses that the region has other priorities and needs: solving problems of water supply, sanitation, transport, etc.

Iker González, a member of the platform, explained at Tuesday’s hearing that, in application of exemplary governance, it is up to the citizens of the region to decide what they want for the region through democracy and direct citizen participation. They denounce that this project is “a necessity of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao” and not a project that meets the needs of the region.

Accessions

Dozens of cultural agents, environmental groups, political parties, agents and trade unions have joined the Saturday demonstration: BaSOS Association, Friday For Future members, environmental experts, etc.