Antoni Tarabini dies, sociologist and key figure of the Transition in Mallorca

PalmaThe sociologist and politician from Palma Antoni Tarabini has died this Monday at 86 years of age. Tarabini was one of the prominent figures of the Majorcan left during the Transition and one of the founders of the Socialist Party of the Islands (PSI) in 1976.

Born in Palma in 1940, he became involved in the opposition to Francoism and was a militant in the underground in Bandera Roja and the Communist Party. In 1973 he founded the Cabinet of Tourism and Socioeconomic Studies (Gadeso), an entity he would eventually preside over and which maintained an intense activity of social and economic analysis of the Balearic Islands. In 1975 he was arrested by the Francoist police. It must be remembered that his political trajectory clashed with his father's political ideals, since Tarabini was the son of an aviator from Mussolini's fascist Italy, as recounted in this report by ARA Balears.

With the arrival of democracy, Tarabini was the PSOE candidate for mayor of Calvià in 1979 and, subsequently, councilor for Tourism, Transport and Circulation of the Palma City Council during the term of the socialist Ramon Aguiló. Tarabini also maintained a close connection with the Obra Cultural Balear and with the social and cultural activism of Mallorca. In 2018 he received the Gold Medal of the City of Palma.

The President of the Congress, the socialist Francina Armengol, wanted to say goodbye to Tarabini on her social networks. "Today is a sad day. We have lost Antoni Tarabini, a beloved, committed and generous man, with whom I had the luck to share friendship and so many conversations," she wrote. The former president of the Balearic Government also said: "A socialist with deep convictions, he dedicated a good part of his life to defending democracy, social justice and a freer and more egalitarian society." "I will hold on to his smile, his way of looking at the world and his ability to make those around him feel better."

"Today is a sad day"

The President of the Congress, the socialist Francina Armengol, wanted to say goodbye to Tarabini on her social networks. "Today is a sad day. Antoni Tarabini leaves us, a beloved, committed and generous man, with whom I had the luck to share friendship and so many conversations," she wrote. The also former President of the Government said: "A socialist of deep convictions, he dedicated a good part of his life to defending democracy, social justice and a freer and more egalitarian society". "I am left with his smile, his way of looking at the world and his ability to make those around him feel better," she added.

Also on social media, the general coordinator of MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguía, highlighted that Tarabini "was a person committed to progress and the study of an increasingly complex Mallorca through Gadeso".

"Palma and the island owe much to Tarabini"

The ARCA association has mourned the passing of the sociologist. "ARCA believes that the city of Palma and the island owe much to Antoni Tarabini," they wrote in a statement. According to the entity, "his analyses, studies, and sociological interpretations have been the basis for understanding the economic and social evolution in an objective and critical way." "Tarabini was always committed to the campaigns linked to heritage that our entity proposed to him. A great defender of the neighborhood where he lived, Pere Garau, we remember his support for the 'Al Molinar, Port Petit' campaign and many others," they highlighted.

The neighborhood entity Flipau amb Pere Garau has also mourned his death and highlighted that he was a resident of the neighborhood, a reference sociologist, and a person committed to civic rights and social equality.