Forced eviction of the old Palma prison begins

PalmaThe Palma City Council has initiated this Wednesday the forced eviction of the old Palma prison after a court authorized its execution due to the high risk that, according to various technical reports, the state of the property represents for the people who still reside there. The operation, coordinated between the Local Police and the National Police, began at 12:00 PM and is expected to last throughout the day.

The action comes almost four months after the City Council launched the possessory recovery procedure for the building, occupied for years and converted into precarious accommodation for dozens of people. According to municipal data, when the process began, 206 people lived there. Over the months, and as a result of the actions of social services, the figure has been reduced to about 70 people who still occupied the old prison modules.

The judicial decision is based on reports prepared by the Local Police, the Palma Firefighters, and health services, which warned of a "real, serious, and current risk" to the life and physical integrity of the residents. Among the main problems detected were the high risk of fire, serious habitability deficiencies, and evacuation difficulties in case of emergency.

During the operation, the municipal social services remained deployed, continuing to offer residential alternatives and integration pathways to those affected. An ambulance from 061 was also made available to attend to any incidents that might occur during the eviction.

According to Cort, in coordination with the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), 45 people have so far been referred to temporary reception centers or social and labor programs. However, organizations working with homeless people have repeatedly warned about the lack of stable residential resources to respond to chronic vulnerability situations.

The old prison in Palma had become one of the main focuses of residential exclusion in the city in recent years. In addition to the degraded conditions of the building, the City Council had justified the need to regain possession due to coexistence problems reported by residents of the area and its proximity to an educational center.

Once the eviction is complete, the Local Police will maintain a permanent surveillance device around the premises to prevent new occupations. Subsequently, the City Council will proceed to seal off the facilities, while the future use of a space that has been part of Palma's urban landscape for decades remains to be defined.

“The PP has chosen the cruelest path for vulnerable people”

The spokesperson for MÉS per Palma, Neus Truyol, has criticized the eviction from the old prison and has accused the municipal government of the PP of opting “the cruelest path” by expelling vulnerable people without guaranteeing, according to her, a dignified housing alternative. Truyol stated that “a decent city does not solve poverty by hiding it behind a wall” and reproached the local executive for not acting with the same force against real estate speculation and the increase in rental prices. She also maintained that the eviction “is the symbol of a policy that punishes vulnerability and rewards speculation”.