If you take a walk in the center of Palma today, you will likely see boarded-up shop windows (including some multinational companies), security guards and, above all, a lot of nervousness among traders, who are already talking about bringing forward their closing time. Reason: Blocas Mallorca has called for a demonstration this afternoon in the Plaza de España, right in the heart of the Balearic capital. And no one wants to risk what happened in Barcelona on Saturday, where a similar call led to looting and destruction.
There are even those who demand suspension of classes in institutes in areas that are “likely to be affected”.
“Preventive Suspension”. The independent, Autonomous I Unitary Union (SIAU) does not want to risk it and has officially demanded that the Balearic Department of Education take “emergency measures” in response to the blocus concentration it called today in Palma. More specifically, it proposes a “preventive suspension of private activities” in schools that “may be affected” by the gathering.
In a letter addressed to more organizations, including educational inspections and directors of two institutions in Palma, SIAU stressed the need to “guarantee the safety” of both students, teachers and other staff.
Root: Atmosphere. “Concerns rose after several commercial establishments in the center of Palma started protecting their shop windows and announced early closures due to the possibility of incidents during the protests,” he stressed.
SIAU is a young union (it was created in 2022) and is far from the most representative of Balearic education, but nevertheless, its request has sparked the interest of the regional press. And it makes sense. As SIAU itself recalls, this is consistent with the concerns of other sectors in Palma hours before the Blokus protest.
Boards in shop windows. Balearic media have been reporting since yesterday how there are businesses in the center of Palma who are taking measures to ‘protect themselves’ from possible looting. Or at least try to. The most interesting case is that of FNAC. Those responsible for the store, located just meters from Plaza de España, the point of Blocas Calle, have covered its windows with cork panels. Not far away, a residence also chose to cover its entrance.
Merchants in ‘Els Geranis’, an important commercial center in the center of Palma, today expressed their concerns. Mallorca Diaries. “We are worried because no one protects us. We are very close to the place of protest,” warned Mercedes Carvajal, its president. Some businesses have chosen to empty store windows and store merchandise, and in general, there are two measures: hiring personal security and advancing closing times. Just today the trade federation AFEDECO distributed a circular with the same advice: Expect closures.
“We just want to hear”. The rally scheduled for 7:30 PM is in the spotlight today. In the Plaza de España under the slogan Blocas Mallorca. The call was moved in recent days through a Telegram group that has since been deleted. In their final statement, administrators stressed that the rally would be “completely peaceful and without any form of violence.” Nevertheless, news of the threat of “looting” keeps traders wary.
Although the ‘Zen Z’ Telegram group was deleted on Tuesday, the Balearic call continues to circulate from Instagram and TikTok accounts using the name Blokus. In fact, there are two profiles on Instagram that share the same poster with the title “Blocas Mallorca” and which talk about members of the ‘Camp for Housing’ with whom the protesters are likely to be today.
And what does it say? “We have no intention of harming (…), we respect that everyone expresses their opinion. We are not enemies of anyone, we just want to be heard,” begins the Blocks statement, which ends with an equally (or more) important warning: “Even if one of our protesters is attacked, we will proceed to the mass destruction of Camping Ten.”
The government delegation explained to Europa Press that no protest calls have been officially announced at this point. This does not mean that they are already coordinating with the National Police and a device is planned.
🚩 The creator of “Blocus Vlc” communication channels in which he instigated looting of city businesses has been arrested ➡️He directed and gave orders to the rest of the group, informed them of the date and time of the attack and incited the rest to advertise the group on #RRSS ➡️One of the communication channels has been closed. 400 users
— National Police (@policia) October 29, 2026
Memories of Barcelona. There is a key point in the background: the dispersed nature of blockchain, which can be defined as a network of ephemeral accounts organized through Telegram, Instagram and TikTok. Palmer is not the only one. A few days ago, a study by the startup Golden Owl revealed that Blocas made active calls to a dozen Spanish cities on October 31 and November 2 and 30 (after the elections). Indeed, in Madrid they are anticipating a potential rally this Saturday.
Although still unknown about the origins, operation and purpose of the blocs, a movement that initially appeared to be inspired by student protests in France (blocs is “blockade” in French), the incident has drawn particular attention after what happened Saturday in Barcelona.
There, a call under the same label sparked a riot with alarming results: 23 businesses were damaged, 15 police officers were injured, and more than 130 were arrested. 89 were minors and only a few had public disorder records. An analysis by VerificadorTVE identified comments about looting and acts of violence in related WhatsApp and Telegram groups based in Madrid and Barcelona.
Picture | Sam Bali (Unshopplus)
In Xataka | France is full of riots and looting, so Vintage is filled with ads for Sephora, Louis Vuitton and Burberry.
