The Civil Guard accuses the two activists from Santa Maria of belonging to a criminal group
The report, to which ARA Balears has had access, uses a banner from SOS Residents to attribute crimes to the detainees
PalmaThe Civil Guard attributes to the two young women arrested for the graffiti on five real estate agencies in Santa Maria three alleged crimes: continuous damage, damage to historical heritage, and belonging to a criminal group. This is stated in the police report, of more than 116 pages, to which ARA Balears has had access and which was sent to the court before the two young women were released provisionally.
The document reconstructs the investigation initiated after the complaints filed by the owners of the affected establishments, but also dedicates an important part to establishing links between the investigated facts and the movement against touristification, especially with the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida and the independentist collective Arran Mallorca.
According to the Civil Guard, the authors of the graffiti acted "in a coordinated and premeditated manner" and followed a pattern that it considers coincides "in all aspects" with the direct action manual disseminated by Menys Turisme, Més Vida. The investigators highlight that the objectives indicated in the document, the measures to avoid identification —such as covering their faces and tattoos— and the proposed actions coincide with those carried out on the night of the events, even though the manual was published later.
A banner from Sos Residents as incriminating evidence
Among the most singular aspects of the report is the incorporation of elements of an ideological nature as evidence within the investigation. One of the examples refers to one of the detainees, who the agents identified after locating a van belonging to her and following it to her home.
The report highlights that there was a banner on the facade of the house with the slogan 'SOS Residents. STOP Overtourism' and states verbatim: "It is tremendously striking that this person has a banner in her home with the slogan 'SOS Residents. STOP Overtourism', thus confirming, without any doubt, this person's criminal activity".
From this first identification, the investigators tracked the young woman's social media until they located a second woman, who appeared with her in several photographs. Subsequently, they carried out surveillance on her in both Santa Maria and Palma, to confirm that it was the same person recorded by the security cameras.
Surveillance, tracking, and mobile phone interception
The report also describes various surveillance tasks on one of the investigated individuals. According to documentation consulted by this newspaper, agents followed her for several days, even on the train, photographing her repeatedly to confirm her identity.
The investigation also incorporates a detailed tracking of the relationships between the two detainees, their social media activity, and their possible connections with profiles linked to Menys Turisme, Més Vida, and Arran Mallorca.
Another notable diligence is the intervention of the mobile phones of the two young women once they were in police premises. The report records this action, but does not specify whether the devices were only seized or if their content was also examined, an action that, in the latter case, would require judicial authorization.
A third investigated person and the thesis of the criminal group
The Civil Guard maintains that the events were allegedly committed by at least three people. In addition to the two young women arrested, it identifies a third suspect who is reportedly currently abroad and who, according to investigators, maintains an affinity with Less Tourism, More Life and with the two arrestees. Among the evidence it presents is the presence of a vehicle owned by the mother of this young man in the vicinity of the affected real estate agencies.
The report also dedicates several pages to describing the operation of the groups that have emerged around the protest against tourist overcrowding. In this section, investigators define Arran Mallorca and Less Tourism, More Life as the most active organizations in this area and present them as organized structures with coordination, communication, and legal support teams. The two young women availed themselves of their right not to testify before the Civil Guard. After being brought before the court, the judge ordered their provisional release while the investigation remains open.