Spain restricts sea off Lanzarote for Sánchez's holiday

La Mareta sealed off: the sea closed for the president's beach

How far does a president's security perimeter extend on holiday? The answer, at least in Lanzarote, is: to the horizon. The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda has informed Salvamento Marítimo of the temporary exclusion of navigation around Costa Teguise from 1 August to 24 or 31 August, depending on how you look at it, due to Pedro Sánchez's holiday stay at the La Mareta residence. The radio warnings do not quite add up, but the message is clear: boats, out.

The sea, forbidden territory

The Maritime Captaincy of Las Palmas has established an exclusion zone affecting fishermen and sailors in the area. The official justification is security in the maritime space, a manageable euphemism. Meanwhile, in Ceuta the migration crisis is worsening and the comparison is explosive: some recall that citizens arriving in small boats do not exactly receive a maritime acompañante. The contrast between the protection of a private beach for a public official and the lack of protection on coasts under migration alert is, to say the least, uncomfortable.

Precedents and privileges

Historical references were not long in coming. The comparison with Franco's regime appears immediately, although defenders of the protocol recall that presidential security always generates restrictions. The problem is not that a head of state is protected; it is that it is done with the naturalness of someone who assumes that their rest is worth more than the work of others. And the precedents of this government, as the Captaincy itself acknowledges, are not exactly minor.

With the contradictory dates and the scope marked by the Ministry, the closure of the sea off La Mareta will pass without major shocks. But the image of a president who needs an empty sea to enjoy the foam needs no comment. Irony, like water, eventually finds its level.