Mallorca: Le Senne faces hate crime trial over torn photo

Palma, Mallorca: Balearic parliament president Gabriel Le Senne faces a hate crime trial from 25 to 29 October 2027 over a photograph he tore during a parliamentary sitting. The picture showed Aurora Picornell and other women murdered in the Civil War. Le Senne tore it in June 2024.

The Provincial Court in Palma set the trial dates at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, as the sides argued over what evidence the judges should hear.

What the judges will see

The court has given the parties five days to identify which parts of the parliamentary sittings on 18 June and 15 October should be shown at the trial. They also disputed how widely videos of the sittings had been viewed on social media.

The judges rejected a request to hear historian David Ginar, who has written a book about Picornell, as an expert witness. They said Picornell’s significance was not in dispute.

A fight over the evidence

Le Senne’s lawyer challenged whether the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory of Mallorca can take part as an injured party. She also raised the possibility of parliamentary immunity. Prosecutors are not bringing a charge because they do not consider his actions a criminal offence.

A legal opinion on the parliament’s rules cannot be heard as expert evidence, though it may be submitted as a document. Le Senne’s lawyer called it central to his defence.

One of the parties bringing the case wants to submit reports on damage to Picornell’s bust in El Molinar, Mallorca, and other vandalised monuments following the June 2024 sitting. The court has given it five days to provide the reports.

Topics: Court cases · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com