Palma Mayor Calls for Eviction of Housing Protest After Madrid Police Clearance

Following the police operation that ended a demonstration in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, Palma Mayor Jaime Martínez demanded that the central government's delegation in the Balearic Islands intervene to clear a housing rights protest camp set up in Plaza de España. Making his remarks while attending the World Travel Market in London, Martínez argued that the action in the capital justifies applying the same criteria to Palma to restore public space.

Martínez formally requested that the government delegate, Pere Joan Pons, take action within the scope of his authority. The mayor maintained that if Madrid authorities determined that the demonstration had exceeded its authorized timeframe and was no longer protected by the right to assembly, the exact same standard must be enforced in the Balearic city.

In addition to calling for a federal clearance operation, the Palma city council announced that municipal police would begin issuing penalty proceedings against campers who violate local civic and public space ordinances. While awaiting a response from the central administration regarding the eviction request, local officers will identify violators, draft official reports, and open monetary sanction files.

The municipal government justified its intervention by pointing to daily transit numbers, noting that roughly 50,000 people pass through Plaza de España daily. Officials stated that the encampment obstructs routine cleaning and maintenance operations, limits general public access, and creates potential hazards through unauthorized electrical hookups and closures that could damage urban pavement.

While asserting that the city respects the right to demonstrate and assemble, the administration argued that such activities must comply with local regulations and cannot justify the indefinite occupation of public property. Furthermore, the mayor cited public order concerns as another justification for preventive action.

Conversely, the activist collectives supporting the encampment have defended their continued presence as a form of peaceful civil disobedience aimed at addressing a severe housing emergency that they claim institutions are failing to resolve. Rejecting arguments tied to public order, organizers emphasize that the protest serves to bring vital visibility to a pressing social crisis and plan to maintain public pressure ahead of a broader general housing strike.

The housing protest in Palma is part of a wave of demonstrations that have emerged across the country in recent weeks. Organizers remain committed to utilizing public spaces to voice their demands and push local and national institutions for meaningful policy changes regarding housing affordability and availability.