A Majorca residents group has urged foreigners not to buy property on the island, saying their presence is not welcome. The SOS Residents association was established in 2022 and grew out of the now defunct Terraferida environmental organisation.
The group has become highly critical about the sale of properties to non-residents of the island and has now issued a letter to real estate agents with international clients. The Association of National and International Real-Estate Agencies (ABINI) predominately sells high-end properties to wealthy foreigners. In the letter, SOS Residents said every sale of a property to non-residents meant a local family was deprived of somewhere to live.
“The residents of Majorca no longer want you. If you come speculate, to make a profit, and to empty our towns,” they wrote. “Do business in your own home. Every agency that advertises ‘the Mediterranean paradise’ in London, Berlin, or New York fuels gentrification and expels those who have lived here all their lives.”
They added: “For decades, our island has been treated like a commodity – a place to profit from, a holiday backdrop, an idyllic postcard to buy and sell.
“All of this has come at a cost we can no longer afford.”
The group pointed out that in some areas where properties had been bought up by foreigners, Spanish was no longer the dominant language.
“We can now speak of economic and demographic colonisation – neighbourhoods and municipalities where the local language and way of life have been replaced by an imported model, far removed from our reality,” they said.
The activists criticised the local government for helping to fuel property speculation, putting profit before the needs of local communities.
“They (the government) have prioritised the profit of a few over the desperation of a majority who can no longer live in their own territory,” they fumed.
In conclusion, they warned potential foreign buyers to stay away or face the consequences.
“You may have the money to buy here, but understand one thing: you do not have our welcome. Majorca is more than an amusement park for the rich. This island is not a financial product.
“Do business in your own home and leave us alone. The people of Majorca will no longer be silent.”
