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Hospitality protest movement joins a political party

"The only way to remove the government is through politics"

Suman obtained less than one per cent of the vote in Palma in 2019. | Joan Torres

| Palma |

La Resistencia, or Resistencia Balear, which organised three protests against the Balearic government closure of hospitality and other businesses, is to be integrated into Sumam, the political party led by a former member of the Partido Popular, Aina Aguiló. At the 2019 municipal election in Palma, Aguiló and Sumam obtained 0.79% of the vote (1,149 votes).

Alberto Jareño, owner of La Balanguera restaurant and one of the leaders of the now defunct Resistencia, says that the only way to remove the government is through politics. "We want to defeat it, and we want to do this through politics. We didn't want to. We only wanted to open our businesses, to work or to receive aid. But we have no other option than to enter politics."

Jareño and Victor Sánchez, one of the other leaders of Resistencia, will both join Sumam, and a manifesto is already taking shape. "We want to take the good things from the right and the left and go through the centre. We want what everyone wants - a clean and beautiful Palma, where you can go to Son Gotleu and says that this is a cared-for neighbourhood, not one that has been abandoned." An idea is for there to be sixteen crews responsible for districts. These would remove graffiti, fix pavements, etc. "We want to help people, and we want Palma to be good."

A new party name is likely, Junts Sumam, for which Jareño and Sánchez will stand as candidates in the Balearics. Jareño explains that both the Partido Popular and Vox have spoken to them and have advised against being involved with a fringe party, as they will get nowhere. Jareño disagrees. "The choice is Sumam."

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