Militarisation of the Canary Islands: Over 50 Organisations Demand a Neutrality Statute

The Manifesto: Handover at Plaza Rafael O'Shanahan

On the morning of 9 April 2026, representatives of dozens of Canarian organisations gathered at the Plaza Rafael O'Shanahan in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Their purpose: to formally register the manifesto "Por una Canarias Neutral" — a document demanding the end of military-industrial cooperation on the islands and calling for a binding neutrality statute for the entire archipelago.

The manifesto is the result of months of mobilisation. As early as 1 March 2026, twenty organisations had published an initial position paper warning of an international "horizon of total war" and demanding a neutrality statute for the Canaries. Since then, the movement has grown to over fifty signatories — from trade unions such as CCOO Gran Canaria, Cobas and the Intersindical Canaria, to political parties including Podemos Canarias, IUC and Nueva Canarias, and cultural institutions like the Centro de la Cultura Popular Canaria.

The Trigger: The Canarian Defence Industry Cluster

The immediate catalyst was reporting on the planned creation of a "Clúster Canario de la Industria de Defensa". On 30 March 2026, the Canarian daily Canarias7 reported that CEOE Tenerife, together with consulting firm PwC, the regional government (via Proexca), the Cabildo de Tenerife and the PCTT science park, was pushing to establish a defence industry cluster.

Its promoters described it as a "real opportunity" to diversify the islands' economy beyond tourism. PwC had presented CEOE with an analysis positioning the Canaries as a potential hub for defence technology — against the backdrop of a Spanish defence sector that grew 16.2 per cent in 2024 to reach revenues of 16.15 billion euros.

ARQUIMEA: The Key Player in the Background

At the centre of the criticism stands ARQUIMEA, a technology company based in Tenerife. In November 2025, ARQUIMEA was admitted as a priority partner to CIDIHUB — the Canary Islands Digital Innovation Hub, recognised as a European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) under the EU's Digital Europe Programme. Through this hub, ARQUIMEA has access to European Defence Fund programmes and the EU's Strategic Autonomy Strategy.

CIDIHUB is a consortium of institutions including the Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC), the Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), the Universidad de Las Palmas (ULPGC), the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the ocean platform PLOCAN. Together, they have mobilised over 50 million euros in EU funding for digitalisation projects. Critics argue that dual-use infrastructure funding is being redirected — officially for innovation, effectively for military capabilities.

The Fundación Ferrer-Dalmau: An Ideological Framework

Journalist and analyst José Manuel Rivero painted a broader picture in an opinion piece for elDiario.es Canarias. Behind the cluster, he argued, lies a network extending well beyond regional economic development. The Fundación Ferrer-Dalmau — a think tank with ties to military elites, aristocratic circles and NATO-aligned structures — provides the ideological and relational framework. ARQUIMEA's president is a patron of this foundation.

According to Rivero, the foundation allows a regional defence cluster to present itself as a "local initiative" when it actually fits into the logic of European rearmament and control of the South Atlantic flank. Drones, unmanned systems, satellite communications and cyber defence — ARQUIMEA's specialities — are tools for monitoring migration routes, energy corridors and potential crisis zones in the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea and the South Atlantic.

Forty Years After the NATO Referendum

For the signatories, the manifesto carries a historical dimension. In March 1986, the Canary Islands voted 53.69 per cent against Spain's continued NATO membership — one of four autonomous communities (alongside the Basque Country, Catalonia and Navarre) to reject the alliance. On the 40th anniversary in March 2026, demonstrations in Las Palmas (elDiario.es) reaffirmed that historic No.

The manifesto's signatories argue that the 1986 vote was never respected. The current plans — integrating the Canaries into NATO logistics and defence production — fundamentally contradict the will of the population.

The Geopolitical Context: Iran, the US and the NATO Debate

The manifesto arrives during a period of heightened international tension. The military confrontation between the United States, Israel and Iran has dramatically altered the geopolitical landscape since early March 2026. Canarian President Fernando Clavijo (Coalición Canaria) publicly stated that he did not share the Spanish government's position on the Iran conflict, though he expressed concern primarily about the economic consequences — rising energy prices, inflation and transport costs.

For the "Canarias Neutral" movement, the Iran war confirms their argument: an archipelago that integrates into NATO infrastructure automatically becomes a target. The Canaries sit at a geostrategically decisive position between Europe, Africa and the Americas — and that is precisely why they must not become a logistics platform.

What Comes Next?

With the formal submission of the manifesto, a new phase begins. The signatories are demanding a public debate and an audit of the defence cluster from the Canarian Parliament. Whether the regional government under Clavijo will respond remains open — so far, the executive has not taken a public position on the cluster initiative, despite Proexca's official involvement.

The movement is planning further actions. On 11 April, a protest by "Canarias por Palestina" against Israeli death penalty legislation for Palestinian prisoners is already scheduled — a demonstration that connects thematically to the militarisation issue.

The manifesto closes with a sentence that captures the mood on Plaza Rafael O'Shanahan: peace will not come from the diplomacy of elites, but from the mobilisation of the people.