The campaign has been brought to the Island through an alliance of locally-based charities who are supporting calls for debt cancellation and fair trade with the third world.
Make Poverty History is a worldwide campaign and the fountain in the Fish Market was today wrapped in tape brandishing its logo by Deputy Mike Taylor.
Also, a small fishing boat wrapped in the same tape was at West Park to draw attention to the campaign.
Today’s theme, the right to food, aims to raise people’s awareness of food shortages in other parts of the world.
In Senegal for example, poverty and debt forced the government to sell their fishing rights to the EU in 2002 in a four-year deal worth £41 million.
Similar agreements have been made with other poverty-stricken West African countries.
Ultimately, Europe import cheap fish stocks that arguably affect trade for European fishermen and leave people starving in Africa because of food shortages.
Such blatant exploitation should cause every government in the EU to hang their heads in shame and cannot continue, say campaigners.
‘It’s a fact that in some parts of the world fish stocks are being ruthlessly fished out and local people are not getting a chance,’ said Deputy Taylor.
‘It’s quite unacceptable.
If we can raise people’s awareness and help put a little pressure on governments around the world that would be fantastic.’
