The first vice-president and government spokesperson, Antoni Costa, reacted this Friday to the Spanish executive's resolution, which has ordered the removal of the Feixina monolith. Contrary to the State's criterion, Costa defended that "there is no glorification of the dictatorship in the Feixina" and advocated for its maintenance, although the final decision lies with the Palma City Council.

The Spanish government has ordered the removal of the Feixina monolith, the controversial monument that for more than a decade has politically divided the left and right of the Balearic Islands. Now, the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory has decreed its inclusion in the Catalog of Symbols and Elements Contrary to Democratic Memory, and has resolved that it must be removed "from public space".

The Palma City Council, with votes in favor from the PP and Vox parties, has taken another step towards granting maximum protection to the Feixina monolith. The Urban Planning and Environment Committee debated this Friday the final approval of the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) to include the monument in the city's Catalogue of Protected Buildings and Elements. The measure, which was initially approved by the Urban Planning Department last year, now faces its penultimate step before final validation. The final vote is scheduled for the next plenary session of the city council, to be held next week.

The association Memòria de Mallorca has announced that, in just over 24 hours, it raised the €3,223 it needed to cover the legal costs of its lawsuit against the Feixina monument in Palma, according to a statement released by the organization. The association highlighted that the public response was "immediate, generous, and moving," which allowed them to raise the full amount required thanks to contributions from people committed to democratic memory. For this reason, Memoria de Mallorca has closed the fundraising campaign and expressed its "immense and sincere" gratitude to all those who contributed financially or shared the initiative. The organization emphasized that the support received reinforces the idea that defending public spaces free of Francoist symbols is not an isolated cause, but a collective commitment to democratic values.

The Memory of Mallorca Association has been working for years to demolish the Francoist monument of Feixina that honors those "fallen" on the cruiser BalearicsThe organization has exhausted all legal avenues in its fight, and in October 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting the monolith and ordered the organization to pay €3,223.71 to cover legal costs. The Association must pay this amount soon but lacks the necessary funds. Therefore, it is appealing for help and has launched a fundraising campaign to solicit voluntary contributions and raise the money it owes. The organization expressed in a statement its "profound disagreement with the judicial protection of a fascist monument inaugurated by the dictator Franco, which continues to occupy a public and democratic space." The president of Memoria de Mallorca, Maria Antònia Oliver, stated that "it is a disgrace that a democratic society condemns an organization for trying to keep a space free of Francoist symbols."

One of the main companies participating in the Feixina Christmas Market is Barca Samba SL, owned by German national Bernhard Gewessler. This company specializes in nautical charters, organizing excursions and all kinds of private events, from parties to weddings and even funerals. However, according to the municipal registry, its activity at the Christmas market has little connection to the maritime sector. The stalls it operates under this brand offer wine and hot chocolate, baskets of Mallorcan products, and a wide variety of Christmas items and services that have nothing to do with the sea.

The Feixina Christmas Market has a distinctly Central European flavor. According to the list of stalls submitted by the organizers to the Palma City Council, which ARA Baleares has obtained, 45 of the 61 stalls are registered to just two businessmen from Germany and Austria. Months before the event, these two men formed a limited company to manage markets. Gerald Kendlbacher, who has gained media attention as a collaborator in organizing the market, controls 29 stalls. This past February, he founded the company dedicated to organizing "events, fairs, concerts, and markets," according to the commercial registry.

The Santa Catalina and Jonquet Residents' Association criticizes the Christmas Market set up in Feixina Park, which they say transforms a public space into a private "theme park" for two months. The association asserts that the City Council has handed the park over to private promoters "without prior notice," preventing residents from enjoying one of the few green spaces in the neighborhood. In response to the employers' associations in the trade sectorThe residents ask: "What does the Feixina market contribute to local commerce?" They explain that, despite having requested the administrative file, as well as economic, environmental, and safety reports, they have still not received a response from the city. The residents state that they have had to learn the details of the event "as it was being organized" and that the lack of transparency has been evident.

The Christmas Market set up in Feixina Park continues to generate controversy in the neighborhood. The Barrio Cívico Residents' Association accuses the organizers of cutting branches from a tree that bothered them. "They've become obsessed with putting the German market in Feixina Park no matter what, against the wishes of residents, local artisans, the trees, whatever it takes," they wrote in a tweet. They criticize the fact that, to accommodate attractions like a slide, vegetation has been "damaged" and mobility has been reduced within a heavily used public space.

He Christmas Market of La Fajina It's already up and running: with more than 60 uniform stalls, an ice rink, and a distinctly German atmosphere, it aims to evoke the grand European markets. But for many residents, this project represents the imposition of a commercial model that obscures their own identity and encroaches on community spaces. The market presents a carefully curated image—wooden stalls, warm lighting, and a Nordic ambiance. Some appreciate the effort: "It's like in Vienna and Strasbourg; it's what Palma deserves," says a resident with a pronounced German accent. But others criticize the installation: "It lacks personality."

A new attempt to remove Francoist symbols in the Balearic Islands. The Spanish government has approved the criteria that will define the new process. State catalogue of symbols and elements contrary to democratic memoryIn this context, MP Vicenç Vidal has confirmed that his party has already requested the inclusion of the Feixina monument in Palma and the monolith on the Explanada de Maó in Menorca, a proposal that the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory "views favorably, in principle." On November 18, the Ministry approved the Royal Decree to compile the catalog. This step opens the door to reviewing and potentially removing public monuments that commemorate or glorify the Francoist dictatorship, its institutions, or anniversaries linked to the Civil War and the coup d'état. The MP Vicenç Vidal –a member of the Ara Més-Sumar coalition– has announced that his party has formally requested the inclusion of two monuments from the Balearic Islands: the Feixina monolith and the Explanada de Maó monolith.

The Santa Catalina and Jonquet Civic Neighborhood Association, which opposes the Feixina Christmas Market, stated after a meeting with two city councilors that the Christmas market "will take place without background music." In a statement released this Thursday, the association asserted that they used the meeting to convey to the city government their "concern about the economic impact this event will have on taxpayers, as it involves handing over a public park to a private company for two months." They also criticized the "lack of transparency," the environmental and sustainability effects, and the deprivation of the use of "one of the few green spaces" in the area, among other issues. In this context, the association detailed that Cort committed to "minimizing the negative effects that an event of this nature implies for a residential neighborhood," that it would take place "without background music," that the attractions would also be free of music, and that it would only be authorized on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. They also assured that the municipal government would study their proposals to lessen the effects on traffic and parking in the area.

The Santa Catalina and El Jonquet Civic District residents' association has denounced the decision to install a Christmas market in Palma's Feixina Park, claiming it was made "behind the backs of residents, artisans, and market vendors." Christmas Market in Palma It will be open from November 21st to January 6th, for about ten hours a day on weekdays and up to twelve hours on weekends and holidays, according to details provided.