Ben Amics will decide in assembly whether to accept Cort's calendar and participate in the LGTBI Pride festival

PalmBen Amics will decide in assembly whether to accept the proposal from the Palma City Council on the organization of LGTBI Pride events, in a context marked by the breakdown of the co-organization of the festival, disagreements over deadlines, and a lack of consensus on the planning of the festive and advocacy activities. The collective announced its decision after months of tension with the city council, which culminated in the cancellation of the festival by the entity and the opening of a new negotiation scenario with Cort, which maintains that the events are still being processed and that no planned activity has been suppressed.

In this context, the spokesperson for Ben Amics, Jan Gómez, explained that in the last meeting with the City Council, attended by the Councilor for Culture, Lourdes Roca, the collective criticized the administration's actions. According to Gómez, "they don't provide resources, but they have told us they want the street party to happen," adding that "willpower cannot do everything" under the proposed conditions.

Gómez also questioned the possibility of modifying the planned festival organization calendar, although he stressed that the association's assembly will decide: "This is not a way to proceed, neither with Pride nor with any festival that has repercussions for Palma."

Against the odds

According to his statement, the deadlines are especially tight, but the collective has continued to participate in meetings to try to fit in the different events of the program: "The deadlines are very tight and even so we have sat down with them because we want the festival to happen. We have to find the balance between the festival, the demonstration and the entrega de los demonios". The spokesperson indicated that the City Council has apologized for the management of the times, which he described as "anomalous", and added that this situation has been attributed to the workload.

Regarding Cort's proposal, Gómez explained that Ben Amics' initial approach was for the council to guarantee that the entire operation would be finalized before June 1st and to make an institutional statement of support for the event and Pride.

On the contrary, according to the entity's account, the municipal proposal places the finalization of preparations at the end of the second week of June. Finally, Jan Gómez has left the decision on the future of the collaboration with the council in the hands of the assembly: "If the assembly agrees, we will move forward, not for the City Council but for the young people who are part of our collective". "If it is accepted, we will ask for the commitment to be publicly fixed in writing"