"Against the powerful, one must also fight": Jaume Sastre reacts to the demolition of Pedro J.'s swimming pool.

The news, first reported by ARA Balears, about the Govern's authorization to demolish Pedro J. Ramírez's illegal pool took the case's complainant, Jaume Sastre, by surprise. "My lawyer is traveling and I don't know if they've notified us. Obviously, when I read it, I was happy because it's been many years of struggle, and it's one more step," he admits.

However, Sastre doesn't want to celebrate anything because this important milestone is not the end yet: "This is a marathon against the powerful and illegalities and all those who lecture others and don't comply with the regulations, and until we cross the finish line, I don't plan to claim victory. It's important because the Govern has now admitted the situation and is enforcing a ruling that, let's not forget, is from 2021. I think it's finally time to bring order to the coastline," Sastre concludes.

The current president of the Assemblea Sobiranista and historic Mallorcan activist recalls that it was in 2004 when he had his first 'encounter' with the pool and its users. "We knew it was irregular and that it was on public land. Therefore, we went to the site along the coastline, without entering any private property, and asked to access the pool. I had a notary come, who confirmed how we were blocked. And therefore, nothing about public use. The coast was being used exclusively with an authorization that did not permit it," he assures.

With this confirmation, Sastre requested the file from Costas, which was then entirely under State jurisdiction, "and of course, they didn't answer us. But administrative silence allowed me to file an administrative lawsuit, which was the seed of the first judicial episode and which would end in 2015 at the Supreme Court. We achieved a moral victory, but unfortunately, the Court did not address the substance of all aspects, and therefore we could not demand its demolition," he recalls.

The "ridiculous" report by Jaume Matas's conseller

At that moment, the steps taken by the PP Government, with Jaume Matas at its head, were already known, issuing a report that the plaintiff considers "ridiculous" and in which the then Minister of Education, Tito Fiol, stated in writing that the swimming pool was an educational resource for the students of Son Servera.

But it was after the Supreme Court ruling when an interview with Pedro J. Ramírez once again alerted Jaume Sastre: "He stated on television that he already had the swimming pool legalized. And I said: 'This is impossible, it's a lie; something has happened here.' I told myself that I had to investigate the entire file again, and I requested it," he explains. When he had the file, Sastre discovered that the State had recovered ownership of the illegal swimming pool, staircase, and terrace at one point, "because the widow of the previous owner had not paid the fee. This was an important first element to reopen a legal case and we discovered that Matas had intervened again to try to simulate a letter of legality for all of this," says the activist.

An environmental fine

In the investigation reopened by Jaume Sastre, he was also able to ascertain that "the first Government of Francesc Antich had been brave in part, as the Minister of the Environment, Margalida Rosselló, had issued a significant fine. Curiously, payment had not been claimed, and the minister Joan Mesquida came out saying it had been lost. All of this demonstrated the influence and power that Pedro J. had," he relates.

However, Sastre did not give up: "You cannot do it, and even less so in front of the powerful, if you are right. The pool was illegal, it could not be in the public domain, it had no authorization, and it was only a matter of having patience and perseverance. We have been providing all the documentation requested, and evidently, there comes a point when injustices can no longer be tolerated by the Administration, because then they themselves enter into a delicate situation," he states.

Now, Sastre is very clear that there is still one last hurdle: the municipal license that must be granted by the Son Servera City Council, the municipality to which the Pinos coast, where the illegal pool is located, belongs. "In part, it should be no problem because we are facing compliance with a sentence from the National High Court, ratified and blessed now by the Government. But let's not fool ourselves, everyone here is afraid. We will have to ask the Council to do its job and re-establish legality," he concludes.

During the conversation, Jaume Sastre asks to be able to thank all the organizations that "have made this victory a collective one. It is the story of David versus Goliath: ERC, PSM, EU-EV, GOB, OCB, GEN, JERC, Lobby per la Independència, Gadma, Camins públics i oberts, Unió Obrera Balear, CGT, Amics dels Torrents, Ateneu Gabriel Buades, Grup d'Agricultura Ecològica, Agrupació s'Alzina, Roques sense ciment and Assemblea per Sant Joan".