A number of shops in Mallorca have been painted with political slogans as part of a protest action promoted by pro-Palestinian activists. The vandalism is directed at companies targeted by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement due to their alleged ‘direct link to the illegal colonisation of Palestine’, according to sources from the Ciutadans per Palestina collective, which has distributed images of the protest to the media.
The exterior of the affected businesses have been sprayed with explicit messages. Among the phrases painted, one can read terms such as ‘Genocidal,’ ‘child murderers,’ ‘Zionists,’ and the clear call to action ‘boycott Israel.’ Ciutadans per Palestina, which received and shared the photographs of the events, justifies the action as a response to the ‘need’ to ‘impose a boycott on all Zionist companies and accomplices to genocide.’
Through the messages captured in the images, the activists have issued a very harsh implicit statement, raising the tone of the protest. ‘We will not tolerate our island continuing to condone complicity and support for the extermination policies of the Zionist entity of Israel,’ they say. The BDS campaign seeks to put economic pressure on companies and institutions that it considers to be collaborators or beneficiaries of Israeli policy in the Palestinian territories.
The choice of these establishments in Mallorca highlights the local reach that the international movement is gaining. Around 1,000 people gathered on Thursday in front of Palma City Hall to demand the release of the members of the Global Sumud Flotilla after the interception in international waters of the ships participating in the mission, which sought to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, after the rally in Palma in support of the flotilla, there were some incidents in the Plaza de Cort in front of a Starbucks establishment that closed its doors under pressure. National Police officers standing in front of the establishment’s door were attacked with chairs thrown by some demonstrators.
On Sunday 5 October, a demonstration in support of Palestine has been called in Palma from the Plaza de las Columnas to the Paseo del Born under the slogan ‘To resist is to exist’. Palma will experience traffic disruptions and bus diversions due to the demonstration between 6pm and 9pm.
The march will begin at Plaza Francesc Garcia i Orell, continue along Nuredduna, Avenida Alexandre Rosselló, Plaza de España, Porta Pintada, Oms, Rambla, Calle Unió, Born and Constitució.
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million. Hamas' declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump's plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
"It's happy news, it saves those who are still alive," said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas' response and Trump's intervention. "This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing."