By Andrew Ede
Copyright majorcadailybulletin
The SOS Residents pressure group in Mallorca was established in 2022 by the now defunct environmentalist organisation Terraferida. It deliberately took as its image that of the SOS Tourism movement during the pandemic. In summer 2022, with tourism well on the road to recovery, the focus shifted to residents and to a demand that a cap be placed on tourism due to overcrowding.
The group has now sent a letter to the members of ABINI, the association of national and international real-estate agencies. Its membership is limited and comprises agencies that typically operate at the high end of the property market. Many of these are international companies and their clients are predominantly foreign.
The letter states: “Every luxury villa sold to a millionaire, a retiree, or a foreign family means a local family without a home … The residents of Mallorca no longer want you, if you come speculate, to make a profit, and to empty our towns. Do business in your own home.
“Every agency that advertises ‘the Mediterranean paradise’ in London, Berlin, or New York fuels gentrification and expels those who have lived here all their lives.” The group explains that it sent this letter to ABINI members “out of necessity, not courtesy”. “For decades, our island has been treated like a commodity – a place to profit from, a holiday backdrop, an idyllic postcard to buy and sell. All of this has come at a cost we can no longer afford.”
Particular attention is given to the German market: “We can now speak of economic and demographic colonisation – neighbourhoods and municipalities where the local language and way of life have been replaced by an imported model, far removed from our reality.
“Our government has turned its back on us. For years we have welcomed this model with open arms, ignoring the consequences for the people who live and work here year-round. Our government has fuelled speculation. They have prioritised the profit of a few over the desperation of a majority who can no longer live in their own territory.
“You may have the money to buy here, but understand one thing: you do not have our welcome. Mallorca is more than an amusement park for the rich. This island is not a financial product. Do business in your own home and leave us alone. The people of Mallorca will no longer be silent.”
