- A group of neighbours have resorted to street fighting to tackle criminal gangs
- Algerians in the area have been blamed for the increase in violent crime
An ‘open war’ has been declared in a Mallorca neighbourhood after locals clashed with a group of Algerians who are alleged to have brought violence to the area.
On Monday evening, Spanish police were called to Son Gotleu, a neighbourhood in the Mallorcan capital of Palma, after a street fight that involved around 50 people broke out.
The clashes were described by one local newspaper as an ‘open war between racial groups’.
A band of locals – an unlikely union made up of Spanish gypsies, Morrocans and Africans – took it into their own hands to confront a squad of Algerians, who are said to have installed a reign of terror and have turned the neighborhood into a breeding ground for violent crimes.
According to Ultima Hora, robberies, break-ins and violent assaults – often at knife point – are said to be a regular occurrence in Son Gotleu.
While the street fight seemed to have calmed down at first, further havoc unfolded when a crowd of more than 200 people proceeded to form a blockade with containers and began throwing objects at the police patrols present in the area.
Street fighters can be seen hurling chairs at each other after a fight broke up in a Palma neighbourhood on Monday evening.
People are seen holding sticks and blunt objects during the street fight that took place on Monday in a Palma neighbourhood after some residents decided to confront an Algerian criminal gang.
Pictured: A man is seen holding a stick after a fight broke out between locals of a Palma neighbourhood and Algerian gang members.
Videos have emerged depicting the violence of the clashes between the two troops, as well as efforts by the police to restore order.
Footage shows how the groups – armed with sticks and other blunt objects – attacked each other, while others threw chairs.
Police had to use anti-riot gear to dissolve the hostile situation, as shown in a clip.
Also, a fire brigade had to be called after a rubbish container was set alight.
At least four people were reportedly injured during the mass brawl, before the police finally managed to restore order.
According to OkDiario, Son Gotleu residents agree that the area has suffered ‘never-ending degradation’ from their Algerian neighbours, the majority of whom are illegal migrants who live in squatters and have numerous criminal records.
Neighbours of Son Gotleu said the presence of Algerian migrants has brought high crime rates, with several living in fear.
An ‘open war’ between racial groups was declared in Mallorcan neighbourhood of Son Gotleu on Monday in an attempt to combat violence brought in by Algerian criminal gangs.
Police arrive at the scene to dissuade the mass brawl between racial groups.
Police had to use anti-riot gear to control the different bands.
Residents of Son Gotleu fear that the situation will not improve in the long-term, with some saying that they will hunt down all Algerian criminals and throw them out of the community.
This comes after around 10,000 locals took to the streets of Palma at the weekend, where they were heard chanting ‘tourists go home’, as they demanded curbs on mass tourism.
A campaign group known as Menys Turisme, Mes Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), have warned they could ‘collapse’ Palma airport in order to get their message across.
Protest organisers have also discussed the possibility of blocking the main port and other tourist hot spots, such as the Calo des Moro and Es Trenc beaches.
Also, on Wednesday graffiti spelling out the words ‘Tourists Go Home’ emerged on access signs pointing to the Tramontana mountains on the island.
This comes after last month, the same anti-tourist slogan was scrawled over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant near Palma.
These are just some of the latest examples of anti-tourism sentiment, which appears to be ripe on the island, as locals claim that high tourist numbers have caused overcrowding and hiked housing prices.
