With an area of 300 m² and a height of over 50 metres, it can be seen by passing boats and from much of the Avenida Mar????­tima. However,  it is a bone of contention for the islanders because 360,000 euros worth of public money was spent on its creation by the party in power, the Partido Popular (Peoples' Party).Over 700 Canarians attended the official ceremony to hoist the flag, mainly older supporters and members of the PP.  Dignitaries were also present, although the opposition parties boycotted the event. The afternoon involved a speech from the PP president, Jos?? Manuel Soria, traditional island songs accompanied by the Gran Canaria Philarmonic Orchestra, and the hoisting and unfurling of the flag itself.

Jos?? Manuel Soria said in his speech that the flag paid homage to Gran Canarian people and was a tribute to the island's history and a symbol of islanders' pride in their country. At this, his supporters waved miniature flags and shouted "Viva Gran Canaria!" However, the flag does not please everybody. Over 100 protestors descended on the Plaza del Fuero Real to decry the government's decision to spend so much money on a flag. During the president's speech and the hoisting, the opponents to the government's initiative, mainly young people and left-wing and independent party supporters, chanted and waved the Canaries' standard, or flags representing other political parties.

Those who reject the flag do so because they think it makes a negative statement, separating Gran Canaria from the other Canary Islands and promoting disunity. What is more, people who voted against the government in the last election resent the flag because it represents a nationalistic belief that they do not share. They also suspect that the government is using the fanfare and polemic of a large flag to cover up its perceived inadequacy and corruption. But the main reason for the rejection of the flag is the misuse of public money. Gran Canaria is still developing and many of its institutions need government investment, not least education and health services. The slogan of the detractors on inauguration day, though laden with irony, was crystal clear: "I'm illiterate - but I have a flag."

Problems have arisen not only from a reluctance to accept what the flag represents, but due to tehnical blunders as well. On Saturday, October 7, the flag had mysteriously disappeared. Following public speculation of vandalism or theft, or of public pressure swaying the PP's stance, it transpired that the flag had fallen from its perch at 5 a.m. that morning. After a little journalistic investigation, the reason became clear. Santiago Gil, from the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, explained that the manufacturers were to blame and the flag's fall was due to a piece of badly sewn material. It was rehoisted, fully repaired, on Sunday night. 

Having witnessed the vocal and widespread disagreement caused by the issue of the flag, I took to the streets of Las Palmas to gauge popular opinion for myself.Eduardo Gonz?????lez had a positive view of the flag. He enthused: "I think it's a good thing, something that's ours. A flag represents everyone, it doesn't do any harm. It is a symbol that we believe in our country, and that we are united as an island." Alexandra Rodr????­guez agreed: "The flag can be seen by all the passing traffic and it looks pretty." However, Juan Jos?? Castro took an altogether different stance. He told me: "It cost a lot of money, and has already had to be taken down. They could have spent less money on a smaller flag." And Maria Cazorla labelled it a "barbaridad", saying: "It cost so much, and we have bigger and more pressing basic needs that should have been considered first. It's a waste, and now the other islands in the Canaries are demanding their island's flag. It's ludicrous."

Opinion is passionately divided in Las Palmas, and everyone has something to say on the matter. But the deed is done and, as Jos?? Manuel Soria said triumphantly to the protestors at the official ceremony, "those of you who don't like looking at the flag are going to have to learn to live with it."