Mallorca’s Call For Horse Rights

A Protest in Mallorca this weekend has drawn attention to a favourite attraction among tourists in the island’s capital, Palma.

Over 200 animal activists took a stand in the heart of Palma on Saturday, November 4, calling for an end to what they refer to as the exploitation of horses which are used to pull carriages. The demonstration was engineered by the Progress in Green party alongside over 30 animal rights organizations and political factions sympathetic to their cause, writes OK Diario.

Horse Rights Activists

Starting at Paseo del Borne, the demonstrators voiced their disapproval with the Palma City Council’s recent dismissal of electric buggies as alternatives. The peaceful gathering underscored the community’s collective criticism of horse exploitation.

The air was charged with chants like ‘Mallorca does not want horse buggies’ and ‘Enough of animal abuse‘. ‘Caesero pull the car’ and ‘We are not racists, we are animalists’ were among the rallying cries as protesters marched from Paseo del Borne through to the cathedral and finishing off at the Town Hall in Cort.

Guillermo Amengual, head of the Progress in Green party, expressed gratitude for the turnout, lamenting the persistence of galley horses’ plight in Palma, which he claims are made worse by PP and Vox’s policies.

‘The exploitation of galley horses in Palma had its days numbered, but PP and Vox have decided to perpetuate the suffering of the animals,’ he remarked, slamming the current state as an ‘absolute shame’.

Carriage Driver’s Side

The argument against the protesters emerged from the carriage drivers themselves, who felt besieged by negative perceptions. Condemning the socialist-led council’s stance, they argue they have become scapegoats, suffering verbal and physical harassment.

‘Every day we feel attacked, both politically and in the media,’ they said while decrying the ‘misinformation and lies’ that have taint their traditional ways, which are still valued in cities such as Sevilla and Berlin.

The opposing views paint a complex portrait of tradition versus modernity, of livelihoods versus animal welfare. The debate in Mallorca’s capital is far from over, but one message resounded clearly this weekend, the call for change is growing louder.