The Madrid City Council has given the go-ahead to begin felling some 301 of the 523 trees planned for the expansion of line 11 of the capital's metro. This Monday morning, the workers arrived at the Arganzuela park, in Madrid Río, and the Comillas park, in Carabanchel and began felling trees, as well as collecting branches and transporting the trees in trucks.
Among the species that have been cut down are plane trees, Himalayan cedars, fig trees, northern lime trees, white mulberry trees, sophoras, false acacias, arizonica, melias and stone pines, among others. Some neighbors have climbed and chained themselves to the trees to prevent its removal, but the workers continued with their assigned work at a good pace.
Given the disappearance of these specimens, the residents of the area have begun to demonstrate on Paseo de Yeserías, at number 51, where the trucks and heavy machinery entered and left to carry out the Administration's order. Members of the opposition such as the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the City Council, Rita Maestre, have traveled to the area to demonstrate their protests.
Reyes Maroto, the socialist spokesperson in the capital's council, has also expressed her complaints; while the mayor, José Luis Martínez-lmeida, has defended logging for the expansion of the metro network.
The neighborhood movement has been demonstrating for 10 months to protest against the massive felling of trees and the disproportionate destruction of green areas due to the expansion works on metro line 11.
Jesús Martín, spokesperson for Ecologistas in Madrid, explains to La Vanguardia that "at the rate they are going in one day there is nothing left in Comillas and Arganzuela."
This expert comments that the City Council is an accomplice of the Community of Madrid, since "it is its responsibility to grant logging licenses, guaranteeing compliance with the Urban Tree Protection Law."
In his opinion, both Administrations "have to approve a Special Plan, since the General Urban Planning Plan of Madrid prevents locating metro stations in green areas." This expert explains that "the Community of Madrid relies on article 163.5 of Land Law 9/2001 of the Community of Madrid to declare works of general interest and to be able to continue with the works even though they have not been approved. said special plan".
Furthermore, adds Martín, spokesperson for Ecologistas en Acción, "there must be a ruling (or justification of the non-need for logging) from the Commission for the Protection of Artistic and Natural Heritage (CIPHAN), for the areas of Comillas, Madrid Río and Atocha. The Madrid City Council has decreed the expulsion of all municipal groups from CIPHAN in order to approve the works without opposition."
There is also a contentious administrative appeal registered by Ecologistas en Acción whose sentence has not been ruled by the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid, but that has not prevented the logging from starting.
Rebellion and Extinction have joined the neighborhood protests, movements that denounce the inaction of governments to take measures against the climate emergency.
