"Massive destruction of the encampment at Plaça d'Espanya": the threat from Blocus before the protest in Palma

PalmaThe Blocus Mallorca group has threatened to carry out a "massive destruction" of the camping tents in Palma's Plaça d'Espanya if any of the participants in their protest this Friday are attacked. "In the event of any attack against one of our protesters, we will proceed with the massive destruction of the camping tents," the collective warned in a statement published this Thursday on Instagram.

The gathering is scheduled for 7:30 PM at Plaça d'Espanya and is part of the mobilizations against the rising cost of living and to demand improvements to public services. The threat comes in a context of concern about potential incidents that may occur during the protest, especially because it coincides with Friday evening's commercial activity.

In the same statement, Blocus Mallorca wanted to clarify that it has "no intention of harming the people camping in Plaça d'Espanya". The group assures that it respects the claims of the campers and maintains that it does not consider anyone an enemy. "We are no one's enemy, we just want to be heard," it states. Even so, the message ends with an explicit warning: "The fight is for everyone, but so is the response".

Police deployment to prevent incidents

The call has generated concern among commercial associations, which this week have demanded preventive measures from the Delegation of the Spanish government in the Balearic Islands and the Palma City Council to protect establishments. This Thursday, municipal representatives met with members of Afedeco, Pimeco, and Pimem to address the situation.

During the meeting, the Deputy Mayor for Citizen Security and Civism, Llorenç Bauzá, and the Councilor for Commerce, Restoration and Self-Employed, Lupe Ferrer, conveyed a message of calm and assured that the Local Police will act to guarantee safety. The City Council has also requested the Government Delegation to provide the necessary resources.

The Spanish government delegation has confirmed that no demonstration has been officially communicated, although it has guaranteed the deployment of the necessary personnel to avoid public order disturbances.

Gen Z

The initial alert arose after a call was circulated for Friday and Saturday in a Telegram group named Gen Z. In that space, some participants raised the possibility of looting luxury shops or responding violently to potential police aggression.

The organizers, however, rejected any acts of vandalism at the time and defended pacifism as the principle of the mobilization.