Antisemitic graffiti on two houses of relatives of detained Santa Maria activists

PalmaTwo houses linked to the family of one of the activists arrested for the graffiti against five real estate agencies in Santa Maria del Camí appeared this Monday with graffiti of an antisemitic nature. The authors drew several Star of Davids next to the words 'Jews' and 'Juden', in German, and they have also tried to paint a swastika, although the drawing has remained incomplete.

The facts have already been reported to the Local Police, as confirmed to ARA Balears by the activists' lawyer, Josep de Luis, who represents the two young women investigated for the graffiti against real estate agencies. The lawyer explained that they do not interpret the facts as a personal attack against the affected family, as "this message has no family basis." On the contrary, he considers it an attack of an ideological nature. "Someone must have thought that the worst insult they could give was to call him a Jew and use Nazi references," he pointed out.

De Luis remarked that the graffiti says more about its authors than about the victims. "The authors themselves define themselves ideologically with these graffiti and, furthermore, they highlight their motor skills," he ironically stated, referring to the failed attempt to draw a swastika.

The lawyer considers that the facts demonstrate "a feeling of hatred and intolerance" expressed through "undemocratic historical references". In this regard, he recalled that "Nazism, besides being profoundly undemocratic, committed crimes against humanity" and added that "expressing positions with these references, I don't think it helps much to gain followers".

The complaint is already in the hands of the Local Police, who will have to investigate the authorship of the graffiti and whether they are related to the arrest of the activists for their protest actions against real estate companies in Santa Maria.

Investigation by the Civil Guard

For its part, the Civil Guard attributes three alleged crimes to the two young activists: continuous damage, damage against historical heritage, and belonging to a criminal group. This is stated in the police report, of more than 116 pages, which was sent to the court before the two young women were released on provisional bail. The investigation focuses particularly on the alleged crime against historical heritage. Beyond the damage caused to establishments, investigators maintain that one of the affected buildings is listed as a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC), a circumstance that could aggravate the criminal consequences of the case.

The report also incorporates other elements that the Civil Guard considers incriminating. Specifically, it highlights that a banner with the slogan 'SOS Residents. STOP Overtourism' was hanging in the home of one of the detainees and states verbatim: "It is tremendously striking that this person has a banner with the slogan 'SOS Residents. STOP Overtourism' in their home, thus confirming, without any doubt, this person's criminal activity".

Despite these imputations, the duty investigating judge of Palma ordered the provisional release of the two young women on Wednesday. The judicial decision became known while dozens of people, mostly young, were gathered in front of the courts on Avinguda d'Alemanya to show their support. The protesters displayed a large banner with the slogan 'Free the detainees', signed by Alerta Solidària, and denounced what they consider an "exaggerated and out-of-place police operation".

The operation is framed within a context of growing tension surrounding protests against mass tourism. Just one week before the graffiti against the five real estate agencies, the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida had made public a direct action manual with recommendations for participating in mobilizations. In parallel, the government delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez, had warned that State security forces and bodies would investigate and prosecute actions directed against businesses linked to tourism. Furthermore, a new demonstration under the slogan 'Mallorca at its limit' is called for next July 26, the third major protest against the tourism model in just over a year.

What was the Star of David used for during Nazism?

During the Nazi era, German authorities used the Star of David as a badge of segregation and stigmatization. Among other things, they forced Jews to wear it visibly sewn onto their clothes to identify them. In concentration camps, prisoners were marked with it.