Mallorca housing protest: Palma seeks court camp ban

Mallorca’s housing protest camp faces a bid to shut it down: Palma City Council asks a court on Friday, 13 November, to ban the gathering at Plaza de España in Palma, Mallorca. Activists returned to the square on Wednesday after a demonstration linked to the general strike. The council says the camp began before the notified protest was due to start.

The city filed its legal challenge against the Spanish government’s delegation in the Balearic Islands on Friday. Security councillor Llorenç Bauzá says the delegation told Palma that a 24-hour protest would begin on Thursday afternoon, but campers had already set up. City lawyers argue that the notification misuses the law. Bauzá also says the delegation allowed the gathering without evidence of urgency or first hearing the council’s views.

Palma wants an immediate temporary ban on the gathering. According to the council, that would also mean removing the camp. Last week, the council removed tents and other belongings; Bauzá says it was not an eviction because nobody was barred from staying.

Local police identified six campers on Thursday and recorded suspected breaches of council rules. Penalty proceedings are to follow, though Bauzá gave no figure for possible fines. He also says the government delegation refused a request for National Police help in monitoring the camp on Thursday. The court has yet to decide whether the gathering can continue.

Topics: Court cases · Protests · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com