The Guardia Civil, National Police and local police forces in Mallorca are on alert in case there are other occupations of tourist establishments by squatters. The fear is that the occupation of the Sol y Mar Aparthotel in Cala Bona has set a precedent. Some sources believe that squatters in closed premises such as this was only a matter of time. There are numerous other vulnerable establishments.
The Guardia have the Sol y Mar under surveillance, waiting for the courts to decide what action can be taken against the squatters. They and the National Police say that the Cala Bona case is an example of a gypsy clan moving in but without the intention of living in the hotel. The clans 'sublet' to others. A police commander explains: "Years ago, squatters were people in a precarious situation, who had no other choice but to enter uninhabited houses to have a roof over their family. This profile still exists, but now there is a different phenomenon: real-estate mafias who take over houses or businesses just to negotiate their price. They are professional extortionists."
Investigators believe that a gypsy clan has sublet the Sol y Mar to a group of Colombians, some of whom are thought to be living illegally in Spain. The chain continues, as it appears that the Colombians have rented out some rooms to North Africans. From what can be made out, it is questionable whether there are any children among the squatters. If there are minors, it is very difficult to evict families who have entered a property illegally. "The mafias know this, and they use children without any shame," says a police source.
There is now greater clarity as to what happened at the Sol y Mar. The administrator, Miquel Deyà, says it was last Sunday. Barcelona were playing Real Madrid. "I received a message from the alarm system. The cameras had recorded three people running in." The Guardia Civil and Son Servera Police went to the scene. "They found that they had forced entry, broken windows and caused other damage, but they didn't see anyone. So they sealed off what had been tampered with and left."
Some fifteen minutes later, residents from nearby apartments alerted him to the fact that there were noises and voices coming from the aparthotel. "I called the Guardia Civil again, but they couldn't do anything." On Monday he managed to speak to one of the squatters. "I discovered that they had stolen all the keys plus some material we had stored. I went to try to talk to them. One of them opened the door and told me he wasn't going anywhere. According to him, he had been living there for a month; he had made a verbal contract. I told him that this was an aparthotel and that it was closed."
"I don't understand how it could have been a month if there is no supply of anything." Deyà has clarified the situation with the water and electricity. The squatters maintained that it was cut off once they had entered. He explains that the services were cut off when the hotel closed last October. This is normal practice. Water from the pool is apparently being used by the squatters.
For now, Deyà doesn't know when (if) the squatters will move out. He is aware of damage that has been caused. There is, for instance, evidence of graffiti inside the building. And while he has his concerns, so also do local residents. "We are scared," says one, who heard the alarms going off during the Barcelona-Madrid match. Prior to this, he saw what he thought was staff doing some work at the hotel. Now he wants greater police presence. "We feel unsafe." But the squatters continue to roam freely, and there is very little that the Guardia Civil or the local police can do about them.