The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has stated that the City Council will not allow the protest dinner in the plaza de Cort to 'defend coexistence'. The Brunzit platform claims that the permit was revoked without legal arguments.
The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez Llabrés, addressed the controversy generated by the ban on 'Sopar a la Llesca' in the plaza de Cort this Thursday, an event that gathered around 400 people on Wednesday night as a protest. Martínez asserted that the organising entity, Brunzit, had long been aware of the reasons why the event could not be held in that space and insisted that the Council offered them alternative locations.
“The entity was already aware of the reasons why it was not allowed for some time. We informed them that they could hold it in other places, but that it was not possible in Cort,” the mayor stated in comments to the media. Martínez emphasised that all requests for 'Sopar a la Llesca' have been accepted by the City Council, “just like last year,” and highlighted that the governing team is “here to defend coexistence among all residents.”
The conflict erupted last Monday when Brunzit reported that the Council had revoked the permit to hold the dinner just a few meters from the municipal headquarters. According to the group, the communication was made by phone only two days before the event, without an official resolution or legal arguments justifying the decision. The platform argues that the request “met the same requirements as other 'Sopars a la Llesca' authorised this summer.”
These community meetings, which aim to “build community” and “recover public spaces,” are part of the already cancelled Palma festival Canamunt and Canavall 2026. The organisers applied for the permit in May and have maintained since then that the activity was similar to others that were authorised.
In light of the City Council's refusal, the Council offered alternatives such as the plaza Quadrado or the plaza Llorenç Villalonga. However, Brunzit rejected these options, considering them to be “the leftovers.” “We do not want the leftovers,” stated the platform, which insists that the plaza de Cort is the emblematic place for such protest events.
The mayor has made it clear that the Palma City Council will not enter into the debate and that the decision is final. “Both the mayor and the governing team are here to defend coexistence,” he reiterated. Meanwhile, the Brunzit platform is considering its next steps and does not rule out new mobilisations to demand the use of public spaces.
The controversy has sparked an intense debate in the city regarding the management of public spaces and the freedom of assembly. Neighbours and social groups have shown their support for Brunzit, while the City Council defends that the decision is based on criteria of order and coexistence. The plaza de Cort, the epicentre of political and social life in Palma, is once again the scene of a dispute between the Council and organised citizens.
For now, the 'Sopar a la Llesca' has no date for a repeat, but the platform has already announced that it will continue to advocate for the right to hold its activities in the heart of the city. The mayor, for his part, insists that the door is open to other locations, as long as the rules of coexistence are respected.
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