The GOB and Terraferida join the rejection of violence of the manifesto by Less Tourism, More Life

PalmaThe environmental organizations GOB and Terraferida, promoters of the demonstration against mass tourism on July 26 in Palma, have distanced themselves this Wednesday from the manual published last Tuesday by the platform Menys Turisme, Més vida through their social media profiles.

The two associations have issued a statement in which they encourage participation in the protest, "setting aside other forms of action" that they claim not to share. "We defend and promote peaceful and public citizen mobilization," insist Terraferida and GOB, alluding to the manual in which Menys Turisme, Més Vida encouraged graffiti on establishments and blocking the locks of tourist businesses.

The organizations denounce the serious environmental and social situation that Mallorca is suffering due to tourist pressure, where in the last 70 years an average of one hectare per day has been urbanized. To curb this trend, they demand an urgent review of land use planning guidelines and island territorial plans, the declassification of developable land, the prohibition of building villas on rural land, and the declaration of a compulsory moratorium on tourist places.

In social matters, they demand immediate intervention in the real estate market through rent freezes, the declaration of Mallorca as a stressed area, and a European-level limit on the purchase of second homes by non-residents. Finally, in their statement, the two main environmental associations in Mallorca urge the Government to halt road plan works, prohibit the import of waste from Ibiza, close down the obsolete furnaces of the Son Reus incinerator, and stop the increase in water and energy consumption linked to the real estate sector.

The platform disseminated a document titled Do it yourself! Manual of action against touristification, in which it defends direct (non-violent) action against what it identifies as responsible for the tourist overcrowding of the Islands. The collective justifies these actions as a response to a system that suffocates residents and links them to the demonstration called for next July 26.

Government, employers, and unions

The business sector, trade unions, the Government and the Spanish executive have expressed this Wednesday their firm rejection of the manual published by the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), which proposes boycott actions against businesses linked to tourism and the real estate sector.

The Minister of Finance, Arcadi España, who attended a press conference this Wednesday in Palma, has criticized the content of the manual and defended that any debate on the tourism model must be developed with respect for coexistence. The minister pointed out the importance of tourism for the "progress" of the State, although he considers that development must be orderly.

For their part, the Minister of Tourism, Jaume Bauzà, has described the publication as a "manual of instructions for tourist kale borroka" and stated that it incites action against companies and establishments linked to the sector, for which reason it deserves an "absolute condemnation". The minister has differentiated between peaceful mobilizations to demand changes in the tourism model and others that promote actions such as painting the facades of real estate agencies and acting against businesses with their faces covered.

The delegation of the state government in the Balearic Islands has also criticized any call to cause damage to public or private property and to promote actions that exceed the peaceful exercise of the right to demonstrate.

The Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB), for its part, has requested the delegation of the Spanish government to investigate the content of the document for possible incitement to violence. The employers' association believes that these types of messages "cross all limits of coexistence" and undermine the activity of the Archipelago's main economic engine. The tourist rental association has also expressed "deep concern" about the content of the manual and has called for a "unanimous and unequivocal" public condemnation of any initiative that promotes actions against companies or individuals.

The trade unions CCOO and UGT Balearic Islands have also distanced themselves from any violent action, although they will participate in the demonstration on July 26 in protest against the current tourism model. The general secretary of CCOO Balearic Islands, José Luis García, has rejected any "violent" action, whether against people and infrastructure or against companies. For Pimeco, it goes beyond the limits of legitimate criticism and peaceful protest and encourages the targeting of companies and professionals.