Mallorca housing camp stays after police remove fences

Mallorca’s housing protest camp stays put: people camped in Plaza de España in Palma, Mallorca, say they will not leave after local police removed barriers and other items on Tuesday. Officers also checked the identities of some campers.

The group behind the camp, Acampada per l’Habitatge, called the police action “detestable” and said it had given them “more strength” to continue. It says the city council is violating the right to assemble and points out that the campers include older people, people without homes and people with reduced mobility.

After an emergency meeting, the campers decided to carry on with their activities and preparations for the general strike on 11 November. They say they will put the removed items back if local police and the municipal service provider Emaya return them.

Palma mayor Jaime Martínez has called on the Spanish government’s delegation in the Balearic Islands to have the camp dismantled. He also said local police would begin proceedings against campers who break city rules on public conduct and use of public space.

The city council says around 50,000 people pass through the square each day. It says the camp makes cleaning and maintenance harder and limits public use of the space. The barriers and an unauthorised electricity connection could also damage the square, the council says.

Topics: Protests · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com