A bar cafeteria closed in Palma, Mallorca because of the fiestas

A bar cafeteria closed for Sant Sebastià. | Gemma Marchena

Andrew EdePalma20/01/2024 15:04
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One of Mallorca's three small retailers associations, Pimem-Comerç, had called on shop owners to close on Saturday in protest at Palma town hall's decision not to declare January 20 a holiday. January 20 is the day of Sant Sebastià, Palma's patron saint, and it would normally be a holiday.

The call for a protest had a mixed reaction. The association's vice president, Miquel Àngel Salvà, counted the number of businesses that were closed on four streets - 138. But many were also open, "especially in the centre of the city, where there are many franchises". "If we count only Mallorcan retailers, we can probably say that half of them were open and the other half were closed, especially in the neighborhoods."

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Pimem-Comerç believed that it was a "nonsense" that January 20 should be a working day. It holds all political parties at the town hall responsible, as they voted against Sant Sebastià being a holiday this year "and left the people of Palma without their party".

The other two associations, Afedeco and Pimeco, agreed that the town hall's decision was wrong but did not make any call for a protest by shop owners.