Graffiti in Palma, as we are well aware, became a hot topic when anti-tourist slogans appeared in the spring, but graffiti in general - and not just in Palma - is characterised not just by the odd slogan but more so by its "artistic" style.
Last Thursday evening, two graffiti artists were caught in the act by local police. Calls from the public alerted the police to the presence of the two in the Sa Riera torrent. They were adorning one of the walls. The police intercepted two 21-year-olds, both Palma residents, and seized spray cans, marker pens, a cutter and a sketch that was being reproduced on the wall.
Local ordinance prohibits the defacing of public property, the fronts of buildings and so on, and a few months ago a Palma court sentenced a graffiti artist to a year in jail and a 3,000 euros fine. This 18-year-old, a self-styled street artist, had caused considerable damage to property classified as being in the cultural interest. Among the sites affected were the Torre d'en Pau and the wall of Es Baluard. He was identified by comparing his signatures and work with what was contained in a book when he was stopped by a police unit near to Torre d'en Pau.