Cort takes the Government Delegation to court over the encampment at Plaça d'Espanya and requests its precautionary prohibition

PalmaThe Palma City Council filed an administrative litigation appeal this Friday against the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands for its actions regarding the new housing protest encampment in Plaza de España. The council has also requested urgent precautionary measures to prohibit the settlement, which had 24 tents as of this Thursday, according to the municipal assessment.

In a press conference, the deputy spokesperson for the City Council, Llorenç Bauzà, accused the state administration of legitimizing an indefinite occupation of public space and of not having granted the City Council a hearing during the processing of the communications submitted by the organizers of the encampment. "The Government Delegation has left us alone and completely defenseless," stated the councilor, who also serves as the Councilor for Citizen Security, and who reproached the state body for the lack of collaboration so that the National Police could act in conjunction with the Local Police.

According to data provided by the City Council, this Thursday there were 24 tents installed in the square and the Local Police issued nearly six reports, which will continue the corresponding administrative processing. Bauzà insisted that, in the council's view, the problem is not the right to protest, but rather "the improper occupation of space and the failure to comply with the framework that can protect us."

The councilor recalled that the first encampment, which began on September 28, exceeded the conditions and the deadline communicated to the Government Delegation. For this reason, the City Council removed the tents and other items on November 4 in application of municipal ordinances. The square, however, was occupied again on November 11, after the demonstration for the general strike for housing.

The appeal filed this Friday refers to a communication that the Government Delegation forwarded to the council that same day, attributed to the organizer of the first gathering, to install an indefinite number of tents. The municipal legal services consider that neither the urgency was justified nor was the City Council given a hearing, reasons for which they perceive a new "de facto" situation. Bauzà added that the City Council had already requested on November 10 that the General State Administration cease the actions it questions in relation to previous communications.

The City Council sees this as a presumed fraud of law

The City Council considers that the organizers of the encampment could be committing an alleged abuse of law by using the right of assembly to circumvent municipal ordinances and occupy public property. “The right of assembly and demonstration is fully respected by this City Council, but it cannot become an instrument to justify indefinite occupations of public space,” defended Bauzà.

The councilman also asserted municipal jurisdiction over the Plaza de España and accused the Government Delegation of violating the principles of institutional loyalty and local autonomy. Furthermore, he has demanded that collaboration between the State security forces and the Local Police be restored to address the situation.