At the Guardia Civil station yesterday. | Michel's

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Following recent incidents in Magalluf, five Britons have been placed under investigation for hate crime. Nineteen denunciations were reported to the Guardia Civil in Son Bugadelles by women who have been the target for action taken by residents and workers in Magalluf who want to rid the resort of violence perpetrated by so-called prostitutes.

The Guardia Civil say that they will not allow people to take the matter into their own hands or to allow the situation to get out of control. Fifteen people were summoned to the Son Bugadelles station. The five facing accusations were allowed to go. Outside the station they said that that no one does anything about the prostitutes who attack and rob tourists. "We go on the street and protest and it turns out that we are the bad guys."

Businesspeople in the area are blaming "mafias" which organise the prostitutes for a drop in the number of visitors. The Facebook page on which photos and videos of the protests against the prostitutes had been posted has been closed.

The five have been "imputed", which in Spanish legal terminology does not mean having been charged with anything. To be an "imputado" is to be a suspect in an investigation.