Disproportionate police violence at the end of a peaceful mobilization

PalmaNot a single graffiti. Not a broken window. Not a single argument with the hundreds of tourists who were strolling through the center of Palma. Tens of thousands of people paraded this Sunday for more than two hours through the streets of the city in one of the most massive demonstrations in recent years without any incident occurring. The contrast with the end of the protest was absolute. When thousands of people were trying to reach Les Voltes to hear the reading of the manifesto, the National Police blocked the entrances and, a few minutes later, charged against the demonstrators with batons. Several videos recorded by attendees also show detonations during the police intervention.

The mobilization arrived amid strong rejection of the Guardia Civil's methods in the preceding days, when graffiti protesting real estate agencies in Santa Maria ended with an exaggerated deployment and the arrest of two activists. These events had heated tempers and raised fears of possible incidents during the protest. The real estate agencies worriedly followed the demonstration's progress, especially in some of the most central streets of Palma. But these fears were not confirmed.

The march advanced through the historic center amid shouts against tourist overcrowding, the economic model, and the housing crisis. Hundreds of tourists also walked along the same route, taking advantage of a summer day with milder temperatures and cloudy intervals. Some observed the protest, others continued their visits or occupied bar terraces. Throughout the route, there was no confrontation between protesters and visitors, nor were there any reports of graffiti, damage, or incidents in front of hotels, shops, terraces, or real estate agencies.

The situation only began to tense up when the head of the march had already reached Les Voltes and thousands of people were still coming down Antoni Maura and the city center streets. The National Police decided to prevent access to the venue, arguing that it had reached its capacity limit.

Two police cordons were formed: one on top of the wall and another at the access connecting the Parc de la Mar, at the height of Hort del Rei, with Les Voltes. For several minutes, the protesters demanded to be able to complete the route and reach the point where the manifesto was being read.

—"Why are you blocking the way? If you can see perfectly from here that there is room for more people!", some young people shouted at the agents.

—"What's happening, do you have orders to spoil this?", others snapped.

Despite the tension, for a good while there were nothing but reproaches and exchanges of shouts between the demonstrators and the agents. The protesters demanded to be able to access Les Voltes while the National Police maintained the deployment.

The situation suddenly changed when the agents began a charge to disperse the people gathered in front of the police cordons. There were baton blows against several protesters and, according to what can be heard in different videos recorded by attendees, there were also several detonations during the intervention. The recordings show the agents' actions on the front lines and the flight of many young people who were between the wall and Hort del Rei.

"For reasons we do not understand and have no justification," lamented Miquel, one of the young people who was injured after receiving a baton blow to the head. Like him, several demonstrators had to be treated for minor injuries caused by the impacts of police batons.

The performance generated moments of panic among the hundreds of people gathered at the entrances to the Arches. Many began to run while shouts of ""Police, what are you doing?", "You are violent" and "Shame" directed at the officers.

The scenes contrasted radically with what the rest of the mobilization had been. For more than two hours, tens of thousands of people had marched through the center of Palma, sharing streets with tourists and crossing some of the most sensitive points of the city without any incident occurring. The only incidents of the entire day were concentrated at the entrances to the Voltes, when the demonstration was already reaching its end.

The police intervention also triggered an immediate political response. MÉS per Mallorca demanded this Monday the resignation of the Spanish government's delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez, considering that the National Police's action had been disproportionate to a mobilization that, until the final incidents, had developed peacefully. The party also called for explanations about the orders that led to the police charge and about the decision to block access to Les Voltes when, according to numerous attendees, there was still space in the enclosure.

This Monday morning, the Menys Turisme, Més Vida platform, organizer of the demonstration, has stated that as of now they are aware that at least twelve people were injured during the police charge and that all of them had to be transferred to a hospital center for the injuries they suffered. In addition, it has been reported that one person was arrested during the police charges and is at the police station awaiting judicial proceedings.

The Police are defending by attacking: "They injured five officers"

The police report on the actions of the National Police agents assures that they acted in response to the aggression against two tourists and five agents. As they detail, the detained person was the one who started the aggression against an agent who was "assisting the tourists". Regarding their actions, they only regret the attack on the journalist, which they say will be investigated, but they do not mention the violence of the attacks and the images that have been made public showing aggressions against demonstrators who are completely still doing nothing. In fact, in the report, they speak of the charges as a response to "very violent radical groups".

On the other hand, regarding the limitation of access and prohibition of entry to the Arches, the National Police assures in the report that they continued with the regulations and with what was agreed before the start of the demonstration. Furthermore, they accuse the organization of inciting spirits, since instead of explaining the reasons for the closure of the accesses (as they requested) they "threw at them the people who accused and pointed them out".