MASSIVE TRI-ISLAND ANTI-ROADS PROTEST PLAN

By Humphrey Carter THE anti-motorway movement is threatening to organise a mass simultaneous protest in Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza next Saturday as it steps up its campaign to halt the highly controversial motorways being built in Ibiza and the Balearic government's road expansion plan in general. At the root of this current anti-roads campaign is the 22-kilometre motorway being built between Ibiza Town and San Antonio. Lined by some of the island's most popular night clubs, scores of tourists, many British, have lost their lives on the dangerous road. Former Culture Club front man and DJ Boy George launched a campaign for safety along the road to be greatly improved some six years ago. Prime Minister Tony Blair has even contacted the Ibiza Council to stress the importance of taking action to improve safety along the dangerous road. However, The campaign to stop the £180 million project has received the backing from high-profile residents and Ibiza fans such as Jade Jagger, who owns a club and lives on the island, and Sting. There have been a series of violent clashes between the Guardia Civil riot squad, especially deployed to Ibiza to police construction work, and protesters in Ibiza. For the past two weeks, the protest has come to Palma where it has received the backing of Majorcans who do not approve of the Balearic government's road plan. This weekend over 3'000 people are expected to march through Palma to the government's Consolat del Mar headquarters and next Saturday, April 15, a massive tri-island protest may be staged. Anti-motorway representative Alejandro Matallera, an engineer by trade, yesterday took his movement's quest to the Balearic university where he addressed students about the crisis which is currently gripping Ibiza. Spokesperson for the movement, Josep Marí, claimed yesterday that the security forces have been “hampering with their telephones” and warned that the protest movement has no intention of backing down until the Balearic government agrees to halt the Ibiza motorway project.