JUST BAN IT

By Jason Moore I am baffled as to why the police and the forces of law and order on the island seem powerless to stop the illegal binge drinking party planned for Palma's Paseo Maritimo on April 8. Similar sort of events on the mainland over the weekend led to hundreds of arrests and in Barcelona police even had to fire rubber bullets. This is not a party, it is a full blown riot. It also sets rather a nasty precedent. If this party is allowed to go-ahead then the police must show the same tolerance with English and German football fans during this summer's world cup. I don't want to be a kill-joy but I am sure that this sort of party breaks every law in the book. Revellers arrive by car, drink from the bottle and congregate en masse in a public area. Cars and alcohol don't go well together and the sight of large numbers of youths in one of Palma's most scenic spots would be disturbing for many people out for a Saturday night stroll. If the party does go ahead then the Paseo Maritimo should be closed to traffic and hundreds of police officers should be on duty. Also, those attending should be charged an entrance fee to pay for the enormous policing bill. The Mayor of Palma, Catalina Cirer, should make it very clear that Palma will not tolerate events of this kind. Hopefully, she will now take action after seeing the scenes of destruction from the mainland over the weekend.