It’s the first mass protest planned for this season after anti-tourism desmonstrations took place last year
British holidaymakers heading to Majorca this weekend are warned of the first major protest of the season as demonstrators plan to take to the streets of the island’s capital, Palma. It’s part of protests planned across Spain calling for a right to housing and the rejection of “touristification.”
The march is set to depart from Plaça d’Espanya, the city’s main square and transport hub, at 12pm local time on Saturday, April 5. According to local news site Ultima Hora, the organisers predict a large turnout, “similar to the rallies against tourism” held last year, in which more than 20,000 protesters took part.
This year’s demonstration is not against mass-tourism as such, and instead focuses on Spain’s housing crisis.
The rally is centred on the slogan ‘Let’s end the housing business.”
It coincides with the start of the Easter holidays here in the UK, with many British families jetting off to Majorca for the school break.
The activist group Menys Turisme Mes Vida (less tourism, more life) shared a post on the social media site X, which said that up to 37 groups have already agreed to take part.
The group Sindicat Habitatge Palma – the Palma Housing Union – also shared a spot saying: “We’re expecting you all on Saturday, 5th April at 12 PM in Plaça d’Espanya at the united demonstration of the housing movement, against touristification and in defence of the land.
“Don’t miss it, stand up for your rights!”
A lack of affordable housing was a key factor during the mass protests held last year, with many demonstrators blaming short-term holiday rentals for occupying properties which could be inhabited by residents.
This year the housing crisis is taking centre stage at the protest. Organisers said: “There are empty homes while people can’t afford decent rent, with exorbitant prices driven by real estate speculation and luxury tourism”, Ultima Hora reports.
Representatives from the groups taking part also highlight the rapid increase in tourist housing, the acquisition of properties by investment funds and the number of vacant homes, among other factors.
They added: “The housing problem in Mallorca is not a coincidence but the result of policies that have prioritized speculation over the well-being of the population.
“Therefore, we call for mobilization because only through collective struggle can we ensure that housing is a right for all and not a privilege for a few.”
In March this year, the Balearic Island president Marga Prohens announced that a series of measures were underway to make sure communities were at the ‘forefront of housing policies’.
Posting on X, she announced a series of measures, which include: “Turning public land into affordable housing, Allocating land for housing at capped prices, and incentives and new tax deductions.”
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