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Craft sellers fed up with illegal trading in central Palma

The artisans guild says that the town hall and police are turning a blind eye to illegal selling. | Pimem

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma19/07/2017 00:00

The artisans guild of the Pimem small to medium-sized businesses federation says that it is fed up with the "inexplicable tolerance" shown by Palma town hall to illegal selling. This has turned s'Hort del Rei into a "souk".

The guild's president, Maria Oliver, says that this week there have been more than one hundred unlicensed seller pitches between the Parc de la Mar and Born avenue. The city's police have apparently been doing nothing to prevent this. As well as the unfair competition that these sellers represent to taxpaying traders, the relations between the legal and illegal groups are deteriorating.

"They are laughing at us for paying taxes and being legal," Oliver explains. There are now even "irregular" sellers who have ceased to comply with legal requirements because no action is taken. "The situation has become unbearable. When we arrive to set up, the disputes start because they are occupying places to which we have been assigned." The craft market in s'Hort del Rei is over three days a week.

Despite meetings with town hall personnel, the councillor for consumer affairs, Antonia Martín (Podemos), has given the impression that nothing can be done. Oliver finds it particularly odd that there is a craft market for three days while for four days the area is occupied by illegal traders.

"It seems as though the town hall wants to promote the black economy, ignoring something as important as the maintenance of authentic Majorcan craftsmanship." Oliver wants there to be "genuine police control" of the illegal selling.

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2 comments

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John P | over 7 years ago

Been visiting the island for over 20 years and the rapid decline in anyone seeming to care about the illegal sellers,prostitution and political incompetence is sad to see. It is obvious neither the politicians or police now have any control but even sadder is that the shopkeepers and residents just seem to accept this.

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Geoff Dominy | over 7 years ago

I too am fed up with the illegal vendors. In nine days, I have filled five large Emaya Green Garbage Containers with paper that the illegal sellers use to stuff the illegal handbags they sell. That equates to roughly 7500 pieces of paper. Where does this come from? From advertising flyers printed and paid for by El Corte Ingles, Bauhaus, Eroski and Muebles la Fábrica to name a few. These legal companies are paying money to promote their legal businesses only for illegal sellers, selling illegal products to take their advertising flyers to stuff their illegal bags. How screwed up is that? Emaya also have to bear the cost of removing this garbage that was never intended to be garbage in the first place. Where has all this come from? Right in front of the Cathedral, hidden by the illegal traders between the rocks so that they can transport their illegals wares in smaller carry bags. Who is running Palma? The mafia who obviously are running these illegal sellers or the government. I fear the former!

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