Confrontations and baton blows by the National Police at the end of the demonstration

The demonstration against mass tourism, which on Sunday brought together between 25,000 and 70,000 people in the center of Palma, ended with moments of strong tension between a small group of demonstrators and the National Police after officers prevented access to Les Voltes, completely overwhelmed by the large influx of participants.

The incidents occurred once the route had finished, when thousands of people tried to reach the space planned for the reading of the manifesto. The National Police had closed the access points because the venue had exceeded its maximum capacity, a decision that provoked indignation among many demonstrators, who demanded to be able to complete the march.

For several minutes, shouts of "We want to pass", "Forces out of occupation" and "These are your policies"" were heard, while dozens of people pressed the police cordon. The tension increased until several scuffles occurred between some demonstrators and the officers.

At times, the National Police charged with batons to prevent the police cordon from being broken. According to Europa Press, the agents also fired rubber bullets during the incidents. At least one young man was injured in the head and had to be treated by a SAMU 061 ambulance, while paramedics also assisted other demonstrators with minor injuries.

According to Europa Press, during the moments of greatest tension there were also several projectiles thrown, mainly plastic bottles, by a small group of demonstrators. Other participants in the mobilization reproached them for this attitude and tried to distance themselves from the incidents.

The clashes continued for more than an hour at different points around the Parc de la Mar. Meanwhile, the vast majority of attendees remained peacefully concentrated. In one of the most symbolic moments of the night, a large group of demonstrators sang La Balanguera in front of the police deployment, before the concentration dispersed definitively shortly before eleven in the evening.

Insufficient space

The origin of the tension was the collapse of the Arches, the space chosen for the reading of the manifesto. The vast majority of participants could not access it after completing the route of the demonstration, which left thousands of people scattered around the surroundings of Parc de la Mar and the city wall.

Sources from the Government Delegation have explained to ARA Balears that the restriction of access responded exclusively to security criteria, as the Voltes had exceeded their capacity. "There was no more room for people," they pointed out.

The organizers, on the other hand, consider that the incidents could have been avoided. They maintain that the venue was clearly insufficient for a mobilization of these dimensions and criticize that they were not offered a larger space to culminate the protest, the most massive of the three called against overpopulation during this legislature.