Mallorca anti-tourism protest draws up to 70,000 before police clash with rubber bullets in Palma

Unprecedented turnout

Police estimated 25,000 people joined the Sunday evening march, while organisers from the "Menys Turisme, Més Vida" (Less Tourism, More Life) platform put the figure at 70,000. Island media estimated roughly 50,000 attendees, all agreeing the demonstration was the largest of its kind in Mallorca's history. The protest, called under the slogan "Mallorca al límit" (Mallorca at the limit), ran for about 90 minutes from Plaza de España through the historic centre to the cathedral, where the final rally was held. Families with children, pensioners, environmentalists, trade unionists and farmers who arrived on tractors joined the column.

Clashes outside the cathedral

After a peaceful march, confrontations erupted when police blocked access to the cathedral square even though it was only half full, leaving tens of thousands outside. Some demonstrators threw plastic bottles at officers, local media reported. Police responded with batons and rubber bullets. The emergency services confirmed at least eight people were injured; video showed a man with a bleeding head wound. One person was arrested. Spain's central government representative on the island, Alfonso Rodríguez, said some of the images were "inacceptable" and announced an inquiry.

Some of the images are unacceptable.

The housing flashpoint

The protest coalition, backed by more than 140 civic and environmental groups, demanded a cap on visitor numbers and more affordable housing. Organisers say over 100,000 flats on Mallorca are used for tourist accommodation, while many workers in tourism, retail and healthcare can only afford a shared room, forcing some into caravan settlements and shantytowns. The conservative Balearic government's steps, a ban on new holiday lets in apartment blocks and a planned car ceiling, were dismissed as insufficient.

We experience every day how resources are dwindling. That really affects all of us.

Tactics and timing

Ahead of the march, some organisers published a handbook calling for "non-violent direct action", including using silicone to disable locks and keyboxes on holiday rental properties while wearing dark clothing and face masks. At the head of the column marched activists arrested in mid-July for graffitiing five estate-agent windows and blocking locks; two young women were charged with forming a criminal association. Demonstrators chanted that they were "activists, not terrorists". The protest was deliberately timed for late July, the peak of the tourist season, one year before Balearic regional elections.

Tourism yes, but not like this.

Political reaction

Balearic Islands president Marga Prohens described the scenes of confrontation as regrettable but blamed the left-wing central government. More than 13 million tourists visited Mallorca in 2025, another record that the demonstrators framed as part of an uncontrolled economic model. Signs carried through the streets read "Mallorca no se vende" (Mallorca is not for sale), "Mallorca overbooked" and "The tourism tsunami is wiping us out". Organisers have already called the next demonstration for 8 August in Sóller.