Civil Guard called out to quell pilgrim protestors at O Pino

[sillydoll]

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notici...voca-motin-peregrinos/0003_201308G24P6995.htm

After waiting 4 hours for a mattress in a Sports Hall, pilgrims refused to pay the €4 for the bed.
From early afternoon dozens of pilgrims were queuing waiting for the sports arena to open its doors, but the official schedule of access is set at 19 hours. This delay came to lead the mutiny of a group of pilgrims, who refused to pay 4 euros for use of the pavilion.
The incident provoked the Civil Guard presence to calm them down and hall opened at 17.30. The mayor of O Pino, Manuel Taboada, said the schedule is set so as not to compete with local albergues.

 

[stevenjarvis]

Similar story in August 2012. Most unfortunate whatever the reasons.

 

[LTfit]

And also in 2010 but without the mutiny...we were glad to have a roof over our heads after finding full albergues from O'Cebreiro on.

 

[julie]

This news saddens me. It has nothing in common with my experiences on many pilgrimages but then I don't walk in August. Perhaps tempers flare in the heat.

Many years ago I paid €3 for a mattress to sleep outside under the awning at Cacabelos. It was a relief to have a mattress even if it were not in a room.

 

[Bajaracer]

Why is the municipal albergue waiting until 1900 to start admitting pilgrims? Are you kidding me? The Mayor stating the later opening hours so they wouldn't interfere with the private albergues? Xunta albergues usually open at 1300, so showing up early and being told they had to wait until 1900, no wonder they were angry, There is some corruption going on with the Mayor and the private albergues.

 

[LTfit]

If you read Sil's post and the article you will see that we are talking about a polideportivo or sports gym and not a municipal albergue. This facility is normally used to accommodate overflow or large groups when the albergues are full.

Why the mayor decided to open up so late is another issue.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Opening at 19.00 isn't that unusual, especially if it was overflow. In 2011 the sign over the door on one of the albergues on the Camino Inglés said that
1) you need to phone the hospitalero to come and open up.
2) you need to call from that time. Possibly because the folk have a day job

IMHO - no payment=no bed/matress. Why do some folk think that they have a right to free accommodation or accommodation opening when it suits them. If they open earlier then many will go to the cheapest place and the other albergues could close, leaving only the relief accommodation open at all. Is that what folk really want??
Personally, under crowded conditions, I would have been grateful for the bed.

 

[naplesdon]

I ran into a similar situation last month with 17h openings in Barcelinos and Ponte de Lima in Portugal. Both of these towns have quite a few hotels, hostels and casa rurales so I suspect they are opening late to help support the local economy. There is nothing wrong with that for sure and what kind of pilgrim causes a riot for a bed? That's crazy business!

 

[peregrina2000]

When I read Sil's post, my first thought was the government had reneged on its promise of more than a year ago to stop the industrial development proposed for Arco/O Pino. There had been lots of demonstrations and protests.

But it seems that being told you have to wait for a bed is just as worthy of civil disobedience! This would be funny if it weren't so sad.

 

[Bajaracer]

Iv'e seen many pilgrims complain about municipal albergues having no beds available when they show up 2 hours after they open, the Xunta albergues obviously fill up first, especially in the last 50km before Santiago, its a race for the beds.

 

[hecate105]

Perhaps these 'so called' pilgrims should walk to a third world country - or one in the midst of a war instead - perhaps they might learn a bit of perspective, or humility, or humanity, or compassion, or patience, or thoughtfulness - mmm... or perhaps not!

 

[Anne100]

Another good reason to walk with a small tent.