"Fires are not put out with gasoline": why the demonstration against mass tourism arrives at a key moment in Mallorca

PalmaThe call with the slogan ‘Mallorca on the limit’, scheduled for this Sunday, July 26, does not come after a specific episode. It is the result of a year marked by an escalation of mobilizations against the tourism model and, in recent weeks, by growing tension between citizen movements and institutions.

The organizers expect it to be the third major demonstration against the tourist overcrowding in little more than a year, after the multitudinous mobilizations of last summer and this June in defense of the protection of El Trenc. This time, however, the protest comes loaded with a meaning that goes beyond the debate about tourism. In a few days, several episodes have accumulated that have fueled, among a large part of the organizing groups, the feeling that the administrations have opted to respond to the protests with more control rather than political changes.

From the manual of direct action to arrests

The first signals arrived with the publication of the direct action manual by the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida. The document, titled Do it yourself! Action manual against the touristification, advocated for non-violent direct action against holiday rental homes, real estate agencies, and other businesses linked to tourism. Among the proposed actions were painting facades, blocking the locks of apartments advertised on Airbnb with glue or silicone, and hanging demonstration posters there. It also recommended studying security cameras and escape routes, acting in dark clothing, and covering one's face and any identifying items.

The publication caused intense controversy. GOB and Terraferida, two of the entities that promoted the demonstration, distanced themselves from it and defended a "peaceful and open" mobilization. The Government, the Spanish Government's Delegation, employers' associations, and trade unions also rejected the manual, which the Minister of Tourism, Jaume Bauzà, described as a "instruction manual for street fight touristic”.

Amidst the debate, the delegate of the Spanish government in the Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez, warned that the security forces and bodies would investigate and pursue any “attack” against businesses linked to tourism. A few days later, the Guardia Civil arrested two young activists accused of alleged crimes of continuous damage, damage to historical heritage, and belonging to a criminal group.

The investigation dates back, however, to May 31, more than a month before the manual's publication. That night, anti-tourist graffiti appeared on five real estate agencies in Santa Maria del Camí, including the message 'Out with tourists'. According to the Guardia Civil, windows were also broken with a hammer and locks were rendered unusable with glue. One of the graffiti was made on a property protected as a Site of Cultural Interest, which explains why the investigation includes an alleged crime against historical heritage.

Although the graffiti was done more than a month before the manual was published, the report maintains that the pattern of action coincides with its indications, a connection that the platform rejects due to the chronology of events. The two young women were arrested at their homes and handcuffed until they were brought before the court. After availing themselves of the right not to testify before the Civil Guard, they were released provisionally while the investigation remains open.

The debate on police action

The arrests marked a before and after in public discussion. Until then, the debate had mainly revolved around whether the manual had crossed a red line and whether the graffiti could be considered a legitimate form of protest. From the arrest of the two young women, however, the focus shifted to the proportionality of the police response.

The operation deployed by the Civil Guard, the searches, the use of handcuffs, personal surveillance, and the content of the report caused social entities, jurists, political representatives, and civil rights organizations to express concern about a possible attempt to criminalize the entire anti-touristification movement.

The report, over 116 pages long, does not limit itself to reconstructing the investigated facts. It also describes the militant environment of the young women and their alleged connections with Arran Mallorca and the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida. Furthermore, it includes surveillance, tracking of social networks, and an analysis of the relationships between those investigated.

Among the elements that have generated the most controversy is a banner that one of the young women had hanging in her home with the slogan 'SOS Residents. STOP Overtourism'. The report states that the presence of the banner "confirms, without a doubt, the criminal activity of this person".

The Civil Guard's manner of acting thus shifted the focus from the damage to the disproportion of the operation. This is also the assessment of the detainees' lawyer, Josep de Luis, who points out the anomaly of the report and considers that the corps does not usually produce this type of report, which, according to him, is more typical of the National Police Intelligence Service.

"The report really grated on me, because reports are usually well-done, they limit themselves to documenting the facts and do not enter into evaluations or establish relationships of any kind," he explains. When asked about the leak of the report, which almost all media outlets had within minutes, he simply replies: "Whoever managed all this was not here in the time of José Ramón Bauzá, because they would know that fires are not put out with gasoline".

The head of the Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands, Alejandro Hernández, denies any disproportionality and defends both the arrests and the use of handcuffs. He also emphasizes that it was not just about graffiti, but that windows were broken with a hammer and locks were rendered unusable with glue.

Why Mallorca has reached its limit

The organizers insist that the demonstration has not been called due to the arrests. The slogan ‘Mallorca to the limit’ encompasses a broader criticism of the tourism model and its effects on the territory, housing, natural resources, infrastructure, and working conditions.

Among the measures demanded are to curb the urbanization of rural land, review territorial plans, declassify developable land, and prohibit the construction of new chalets. The conveners also demand a moratorium on new tourist places, a ban on vacation rentals, more inspections against illegal offers, and greater protection of agricultural, forest, and natural spaces.

The platform also calls for halting new planned roads, drafting an integral mobility plan, freezing rents, declaring Mallorca a stressed area, and expanding the public housing stock. It also links the tourism model with precarious employment, over-exploitation of aquifers, infrastructure collapse, increased energy consumption, the climate crisis, and high waste production.

When the demonstrators take to the streets this Sunday, they will be driven by various motivations. There will be those who participate to demand a change in the tourism model and those who do so because they consider that Mallorca has exceeded its territorial, environmental, and social limits. But there will also be participants who will understand the mobilization as a response to the climate generated in recent weeks around the Santa Maria arrests and the treatment received by social movements.

This is probably the main change compared to previous calls. The demonstration no longer only addresses the debate on tourism. It is also marked by another discussion: how far can institutions go in responding to social protest and what balance should be maintained between the prosecution of possible crimes and the preservation of the rights to demonstrate, associate, and political dissent.