Civil society and parties denounce "disproportionate" action in the arrests of Santa Maria activists

PalmaThe platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida has reported that the arrests of the two young women investigated for the graffiti against various real estate agencies in Santa Maria respond to a strategy of "repression" and "criminalization of protest" against the movement that questions Mallorca's tourism model.

The platform's spokesperson, Pere Joan Femenia, considers that behind the police action there are "political and economic interests" aimed at slowing down mobilizations against the touristification. According to what he stated, the actions promoted by the collective in recent years, and especially this 2026, "have inconvenienced political and economic sectors," and he maintains that since 2024 the movement has been attempted to be criminalized.

Femenia has also rejected the Civil Guard's thesis linking the investigated graffiti to the direct action manual published by the platform. "It is impossible for there to be a pattern and a link between acts prior to the publication of the manual and the publication itself. What is being sought is to create false links to criminalize and repress unfairly," he stated.

The spokesperson also stated that it is not the first time that, in his opinion, attempts have been made to link mobilizations against the tourism model with criminal conduct. As an example, he recalled the demonstration against tourist overcrowding in 2025 and the protest this July in Trenc, cases in which he believes attention was diverted to graffiti that, he argues, was not related to the mobilizations. "Efforts, money, and investigation teams are being focused on promoting this criminalization," he stated.

Femenia also advocated for social protest as a tool for transformation and assured that many initially questioned demands end up being accepted over time. In this regard, he recalled the first complaints against tourist rentals and the occupation of Dragonera. "Perhaps in the future we will understand that protest is necessary in the face of incompetent political management to legislate on social problems," he concluded.

The platform's statements are added to those of various social entities that have also questioned the proportionality of the arrests and have warned of the risk of criminalizing social protest.

The GOB has argued that the arrests cannot be separated from the social, territorial, and environmental context that Mallorca is experiencing. The entity considers that the discontent generated by tourist overcrowding, the housing access crisis, urban pressure, and land degradation explains the increase in mobilizations against the current economic model.

In this sense, the GOB states that there is an "evident disproportion" between the attention these events receive and the institutional response to continued aggressions against the territory, landscape, and the right to housing. The entity maintains that the response to citizen discontent "should not be fear, intimidation, and repression, but more public debate, more listening, and more capacity to respond to the real problems that society is experiencing."

Furthermore, it rejects that the defense of the territory, the right to housing, and criticism of the tourism model are subject to "stigmatization or permanent suspicion" and considers that turning this conflict into a public order issue "will not resolve any of the problems that have caused it to emerge." Finally, the GOB encourages citizens to participate in the 'Mallorca al Límit' demonstration, called for July 26.

APAEMA has expressed its "deep concern" about what it considers a disproportionate action. The entity avoids commenting on the investigated facts, but considers it "difficult to justify" that alleged graffiti would lead to a police operation of these characteristics, with the two activists transferred handcuffed and publicly exposed.

According to the association, this action could generate a deterrent effect on people participating in social movements and sends a message that goes beyond the investigated facts. It also expresses its concern about the dissemination of images of the two young women, perfectly identifiable, and recalls that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental right that must be preserved in any proceeding.

The president of APAEMA, Miquel Coll, stated that "it seems a shame to us that the population is being intimidated so that they do not protest against the tourism model. A democratic society must know how to listen to critical voices and face conflicts through dialogue, not fear".

The controversy has also reached the Congress of Deputies. The deputy for MÉS per Mallorca, Vicenç Vidal, has registered the request for the appearance of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, to explain the arrests.

Vidal considers the facts to be "of extraordinary gravity" and denounces any violation of fundamental rights and any attempt to criminalize a social movement that defends the right to housing and territory. "The right to protest is a basic pillar of any democracy," he stated.

Podem has also registered a series of questions in Congress addressed to the Ministry of the Interior to demand explanations about the actions of the Civil Guard. The party questions the proportionality of the police operation, requests to know what criteria justified the arrests, the use of handcuffs and the intervention of mobile phones, and asks if there are specific investigations directed against individuals and groups linked to the anti-touristification movement.

Likewise, Podem expresses its concern about the statements attributed to police sources, which stated that "anyone who commits crimes against tourist interests in Mallorca will be arrested". The party considers that the defense of the right to housing and the denunciation of real estate speculation are part of the legitimate exercise of the rights of participation and protest and demands that any police action scrupulously respect fundamental rights.