The arrest of the activists drives up sales of SOS Residents banners
The Quart Creixent bookstore has almost sold out posters following the intervention of the Civil Guard
Palma"We no longer know what else we can do: banners, resist, demonstrations... But if you take one step further, like graffiti, they expose you in the media and come looking for you at your home; I don't know what else we can do." The indignation belongs to Margalida Castell, manager of the Quart Creixent bookstore, following the arrest of two young women for graffiti against tourist overcrowding in Santa Maria. Faced with this situation, the bookstore has reinforced the distribution of SOS Residents banners, which have almost run out after the Civil Guard's intervention.
"People want to show their support again," explains Castell. "We are the ones who are having a hard time, not the real estate agencies." The increase in demand is particularly significant, as the Civil Guard considers a SOS Residents poster that one of the detainees had in her home to be incriminating. The two young women are under investigation, presumably, for crimes of continuous damage, damage to historical heritage, and belonging to a criminal group.
Quart Creixent acts as a distribution point for banners and bags for the SOS Residents campaign on a non-profit basis, with the profits going entirely to the collective. Although they were already selling them before, Castell assures that demand has skyrocketed in recent days.
The manager also denounces the consequences that gentrification has had on the business. "There are no local people living in the center of Palma anymore. If you walk down the street, there are only tourists, and we don't have any products focused on tourism. The business has suffered," she states. Furthermore, she believes that many residents have stopped coming to the center because "they can't park or walk."
The demonstration of July 26
On a personal level, Castell confirms that he will participate in the 'Mallorca al límit' demonstration, called by the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida on July 26. However, he admits that among the bookstore owners there is weariness: "Some are quite fed up with resisting every summer". The arrest of the two young women has placed the protest at the center of public debate, with a strong impact on social networks and the media.