424th anniversary of the victory of the popular militias against the Dutch troops

 

The president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, attended the commemoration of the 424th anniversary of the defeat of the Dutch troops in the battle of El Batán, which was celebrated this afternoon, at the monument dedicated to Alfonso Alvarado, located next to the Castle of Mata of the capital of Gran Canaria.

 

 

Morales assured that “in recent years we have experienced this celebration in the midst of a pandemic, a war and a global economic crisis. Nature has also manifested itself with the eruption of the volcano on La Palma, or with continuous and extreme waves of haze, heat, fires or storms. In the face of these vicissitudes and uncertainties, the island spirit of resistance and adaptation is revived.” 

 

At the event, the president was accompanied by the Chief of the Canary Islands 50 Regiment, Gabriel González Segura, the councilor of the city council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Inmaculada Medina, the deputy mayor of Santa Brígida, Jose Armengol, and the councilor of the San Mateo City Council, Isabel Peñate. 

 

The island president considers that this battle was “A demonstration of the collective spirit of the people of Gran Canaria, where strategy, creativity and knowledge of our territory achieved a surprising victory. Van der Does's campaign went from failure to failure after the defeat on our island. The action against Gran Canaria was the beginning of a chronicle of the disaster.” 

 

 

Morales emphasized that “despite the enormous damage, Gran Canaria demonstrated its ability to confront much superior forces and, above all, its determination to rebuild the destroyed space. The small town/island, he confirmed that the entire population united to defend themselves against invaders, whether they were armies, Barbary assaults or raids with patent of marque.” 

 

“As I said last year in this place and repeat the anthem of the Canarian struggle, I conclude by remembering that, in El Batán, the great lost and the small won. We will never give up and we will always be willing to work alongside those who defend peace and cooperation,” Morales concluded.