Cort demands again the eviction of the housing encampment in Palma after the complaint for sexual harassment

PalmaPalma City Councilhas once again demanded that the Spanish government delegation in the Balearic Islands to evict the encampment for the right to housing in Plaça d'Espanya after the feminist collective Flama denounced the presence, according to their version, of “sexist behaviors and attitudes” and “situations of sexual harassment” in the context of the protest.

The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has demanded that the Government delegate, Alfonso Rodríguez, act “immediately” and has described as “extremely serious” the accusations made public by Flama. Cort considers that these complaints make it “even more necessary” for the Government Delegation to intervene.

The City Council had already previously requested the eviction of the encampment, which has been maintained in Plaza de España since the early hours of September 29th. Cort argues that the deadline for the communicated demonstration had expired and that the current situation would not seem to fit with that specific call.

The city council assures that it respects the right to assembly and demonstration, but maintains that it must be exercised in accordance with regulations and with guarantees of safety, coexistence, and protection of people. It also points out that the occupation of the square has been hindering municipal cleaning, maintenance, and conservation tasks for more than a week. In their initial request, however, they claimed that they had to evict them because "they did not have a permit and their deadline had expired", a fact that the Delegation denied and contradicted.

The encampment says it has expelled people from the site

Meanwhile, the encampment has reacted to Flama's complaint with an internal assembly in which, as the feminist collective itself explains, the affected people have exposed the situations that allegedly took place. Based on this assembly, several measures have been agreed upon to try to ensure that the protest is a “safe space free from any form of harassment, sexism, LGTBIphobia or violence”.

Among the measures announced is the departure from the space of people whose presence had generated situations of conflict or insecurity. It has also been proposed to develop a protocol for prevention and action in the face of situations of harassment, sexism and other violence. The encampment has also announced the creation of an LGTBI and care reference point and assures that public apologies have been made for certain attitudes and comments that had generated discomfort.

Flama explains that, after its initial complaint, the situation has evolved following dialogue within the encampment and decisions made in the assembly. The collective maintains that it is now awaiting how the agreed-upon measures are applied and whether the affected individuals can feel safe.

Flama withdrew from the organization

Flama announced its withdrawal from organic participation in the organization of the encampment after an internal process of debate and reflection. The collective stated that it had detected “sexist behaviors and attitudes” and “situations of sexual harassment” which, in its view, contradicted the principles of mutual care that should govern the space.

The group also explained that there are minors among its members and that the protection and safety of its members was a priority so as not to expose them to “hostile or unsafe spaces”.

Flama’s withdrawal, however, does not imply that it is abandoning the fight for the right to housing. The collective has remarked that it will continue to participate in the social movement and that its criticism is directed at the specific dynamics of how the encampment functions.

In its first statement, Flama did not specify which cases of harassment it was reporting nor did it identify the people to whom it attributed these behaviors. The accusations, therefore, correspond to the collective’s account and have not been judicially proven. The encampment, for its part, now defends that it has adopted measures following the situations raised and that it will continue to evaluate their implementation.

Cort offers support to Flama

The City Council has placed its services at the disposal of the members of Flama so that they can go to the Family and Women's Care Unit (UFAM) and receive support and accompaniment in the face of the situations they have made public.

The protest at Plaça d'Espanya began on September 29, after the mobilization in defense of the right to housing held in Palma, and during the following days tents and participants have been joining. The encampment has been organized through assemblies and working groups and is part of the mobilization for the right to housing that has spread to different parts of the State.