Historic Demo in the defence of Mallorca

With the slogan "Qui estima Mallorca no la destrueix" (Those who love Mallorca don't destroy it), thousands of people of all ages demonstrated on Saturday through the streets of the centre of Palma in defence of the territory and environment. The mobilisation, called by the GOB and seven citizens' platforms, had a historic participation that some calculate at 45,000 people, only comparable to the one held against the Irak war on February 15, 2003.

A group of xeremiers and a banner with the slogan "Qui estima Mallorca no la destrueix" led the demo that went peacefully from the plaza de Espanya to the plaza Major, where the writer Maria Antònia Oliver and the singer from the group Antònia Font, Pau Debon, went onto the stage to read the unitarian manifest. The singer, Maria del Mar Bonet, also got onto the stage to join the event, and she had taken part in the demo route accompanied by the writer, Biel Mesquida. The event closed with the group Cap-pela that performed La Balanguera (hymn of Mallorca) accompanied by the great choir formed by all the demonstrators.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The massive attendance at the demo last Saturday showed that the territorial policy of the Partido Popular and Unió Mallorquina is not shared by a large part of society. It can be thought that the parliamentary majority obtained by PP and backed by UM in the last elections give democratic legitimacy to the territorial policy developed by the Balearic Government and the Majorcan Council. But they can also be answered and reminded that the essence of democracy is based on the government by the majority respecting the minorities. If these minorities represent almost half the citizens of Mallorca, it seems reasonable to ask to be heard by the PP and UM. In fact, bearing in mind the urbanistic and environment disasters accumulated since the sixties, nowadays it does not appear to be serious to carry out a territorial policy without a wide social consensus.

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Photographic report of the demonstration (20 photographs)

FORUM

Should PP and UM reconsider their territorial model?

Date of publication: 15/02/2004

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