Overview
- A mass demonstration in Palma on Sunday drew large crowds — police put turnout at about 25,000 while organisers said up to 70,000 — and a march that was peaceful for hours ended in clashes near the cathedral.
- Police used batons and, according to multiple reports and videos, rubber projectiles to clear access to the Ses Voltes finish area, leaving several people injured and at least one person arrested.
- The protest was organised by the platform Menys Turisme, Més Vida to demand limits on visitor numbers and more affordable housing, and organisers said the timing was chosen to influence next year’s Balearic regional elections.
- Alfonso Rodríguez, Madrid’s delegate to the Balearic Islands, called some images unacceptable and ordered a report into the police action, a politically sensitive move because the National Police answer to the central government not the regional administration.
- The demonstrations expose wider strains on Mallorca: record tourist arrivals and more than 100,000 homes used for short‑term lets have driven rents up, reduced long‑term housing and increased pressure on local services ahead of a major August eclipse and continued high summer traffic.