Libraries in Palma targeted by the far right: they believe there are too few books in Spanish

PalmThe Palma City Council will approve a motion this Thursday, proposed by Vox and supported by the People's Party (PP), to commission a study quantifying the number of titles in each language. The far-right party believes there are too few books in Spanish in municipal libraries. However, Más por Palma considers this new offensive "absurd." "We are facing a smokescreen to cover up the real neglect of neighborhood libraries by the PP and Vox," denounced councilor Miquel Àngel Contreras. The Son Cladera library has been temporarily closed since April, and the Génova and Sant Jordi libraries have nearly closed due to the City Council's failure to pay rent. Currently, Palma's municipal libraries have a total collection of 265,545 items, of which 86,945 are in Catalan and 150,004 in Spanish. Furthermore, regarding CABIB (the Balearic Islands Catalogue, books available through interlibrary loan), in 2025 the collection increased by 3,065 titles in Catalan and 5,873 in Spanish. Therefore, the narrative of the PP and Vox parties collapses when examining the data, which shows that Spanish almost doubles the number of new acquisitions in 2025 compared to Catalan. "These figures expose the lies of Vox and the irresponsibility of the PP government, which manages the libraries and is responsible for extracting the data," denounces Miquel Àngel Contreras. "They are not interested in the truth, only in attacking Catalan. They are not interested in the disastrous management of libraries by the PP. Both parties have made a pact of hostility against the language of Palma's residents, and they demonstrate this every day," points out the MÉS councilor for Palma.

MÁS for Palma also denounces that while Vox creates this smokescreen and while, in matters of Culture, the mayor and the councilor in question prioritize large events, photo ops, and slogans to use it as a tourist attraction, the reality of their administration is that the municipal libraries, which serve the neighborhoods, are not functioning.

Main complaints of MÁS

• Son Cladera library, closed: The library has been closed since April, leaving a neighborhood of about 8,000 inhabitants without service.
• Other libraries in dire straits: The City Council has accumulated months of unpaid rent for the Sant Jordi and Génova libraries, which have been on the verge of closing. €25,000 is still owed to Sant Jordi and €5,800 to Génova, according to MÁS. Other facilities, such as the Son Sardina library, are also in a very precarious situation.
• Drastic reduction of activities: Libraries such as Encarnación Viñas (Pere Garau) and Joan Alcover (Les Veles) have gone from scheduling weekly activities to only holding one per month.
• Political control and censorship of external activities: All external activities must pass through the political filter of the Culture Department, which implies censorship and, due to the PP's poor management, a significant reduction in cultural programming.
• The Interlibrary Loan Service at Risk: This service is severely affected by staff shortages and is not being properly guaranteed. It was already suspended between April and October 2025.
• No new arrivals for months: Book purchases depend on loans, not the regular budget, which delays the arrival of new titles until the end of 2026. Libraries will go through Sant Jordi and almost the entire year without any new publications.
• Staff shortages: The lack of professionals is the root of many problems: reduced hours, temporary closures and precariousness of basic services.

MÁS por Palma is demanding that the PP and VOX parties take responsibility and put an end to a cultural management model based on self-promotion and propaganda, rather than public service. Therefore, the party will present an alternative motion demanding that the PP rectify its policies.