The National Police said yesterday that they have confirmation that the members of the extremist group Arran, who terrorised a group of restaurant clients and holidaymakers at a luxury sea front restaurant Palma last month, have close connections with radical groups on the mainland.
The police say that the Majorca branch of Arran, which is threatening further protests and demonstrations against tourism, acted under orders from Catalonia and that they know the identities of those involved. Charges they will face will relate to damages suffered by the restaurant and the use of flares in a public space. The police are waiting for an assessment of these damages.
Politicians from regions of Spain were commenting yesterday on the incidents involving Arran in Barcelona and Majorca, while the Balearic government and Palma town hall maintained an extraordinary silence.
Ximo Puig, the president of the Valencia regional government, said that his government is against any hint of violence directed towards tourism. He added that the safety of all tourists going to Valencia will be guaranteed and that choosing Valencia would be "one of the best decisions that could be taken". He noted that there hasn’t been any problem of the type experienced in Majorca and Catalonia.
The regional government of Madrid condemned the anti-tourism protests. "This radicalisation can only be dealt with by the police with the full backing of the judiciary. Tourism is not only vital for our economy but it brings new life and cultures to the various regions and out country as a whole."
In Andalusia, the tourism minister, Francisco Javier Fernández, said that he was not concerned that there would be such incidents in the region. "Andalusia does not have this problem." He added that failures elsewhere needed to be analysed in order that they are not committed in Andalusia. He explained this by referring to a "monoculture of tourism" in the Balearics and to Catalonia having some 70% of its tourism concentrated in Barcelona. "The circumstances in Andalusia are not the same."
Meanwhile, graffiti has appeared on a bench in Palma's calle Blanquerna saying no to tourist apartments.
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Biting the hand that feeds!
If the police know who those budding anarchists are they should be arrested and locked up before they do some real damage to tourism. They should be celebrating the democracy we still have here - in spite of the efforts of our controlling joke government. In the past they would have just been made to disappear overnight. Even Franco liked and welcomed tourists, knowing that they brought wealth to the country. And Juan - given the appalling school attendance records here, I doubt very much if any of them will ever finish their course.
Arrest them and make them clean the beaches and streets after the tourists have gone back to their Hotels and in the early mornings so the streets and beaches are spotless as they always are! They would be too tired then to demonstrate.
Summer Holidays...... Bored idiot kids off school.Wait until school starts again in September and you won't hear from them again.
I agree, this needs to be nipped in the bud quickly. I for one have zero confidence in the Balearic government, just a bunch of politically correct commentators.
'Palma town hall maintained an extraordinary silence'. Why I am surprised? When we can't even deal with illegal sellers (some commenting on their human rights), how are we going to deal with Arran? If a group of young people faced prison for demonstrating in a church a while back, we should be able to handle a group of people who clearly do not understand who is to blame for the over-saturation of tourists and again it is not the tourists. We need to nip this in the bud and send a clear message to those thinking this is a good idea in the swiftness how it is handled and the punishments it brings. When you kill the cow that give you milk, you will eventually die of thirst.