Palma mayor, Antoni Noguera, used the occasion of his address for the Festival of the Standard, to declare that the city is open, cosmopolitan and welcoming. "We stand for equality, for the unalienable rights of people, for individual freedoms, for coexistence in peace and tranquility and for freedom of expression."
Noguera called for a rejection of "radical reactionaries" who want to destroy the principles for which "we have fought over the past forty years". He expressed his concern at a rise in racism, stressing that "we don't want racist and xenophobic messages in our city". He continued by saying that "we are tolerant, democracy must be saved and progressive ideas must be saved".
The mayor called for Palma to be a city "free of male violence, where women can live without fear of being harassed, assaulted, raped or murdered". He made special mention of Sacramento Roca, who was stabbed to death by her ex-partner in November.
He said that he wished to enhance cultural infrastructure in the city, observing that culture generates wealth, and referred to town hall measures to deal with "speculation and saturation". In this respect, he noted the conservation of the Fontanelles wetland area, which had been earmarked as a commercial centre development, and the creation of a park on the seafront by the Gesa building.
Noguera looked forward to continuing as mayor after the municipal election in May, pointing to projects that he wished to press ahead with, such as the tram system from the centre of Palma to the airport.