Spanish court convicts fans for hate crimes against the Real Madrid football player in the first conviction over racist insults.
Three Valencia football fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison for hate crimes against Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr, the first conviction for racist insults in a football stadium in Spain, a court announced.
“The ruling handed down today, which is final, establishes as proven that the three defendants insulted Vinicius with shouts, gestures and chants referring to the colour of his skin,” the court said in a statement on Monday.
“These shouts and gestures of a racist nature, consisting among other things in the repetition of the sounds and imitating the movements of monkeys, caused the footballer feelings of frustration, shame and humiliation, with the consequent undermining of his intrinsic dignity.”
In Spain, prison sentences of less than two years for non-violent crimes rarely require a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time, so the three are likely to remain free unless they commit further offences.
The three supporters, who pled guilty to the charges, were also banned from entering football stadiums for two years and ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings.
“This ruling is great news for the fight against racism in Spain as it repairs the damage suffered by Vinicius Jr and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to insult that LaLiga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them,” LaLiga president Javier Tebas said.
The events happened at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium in May last year, when racist slurs were hurled at Vinicius, who is Black, during a league match.
They led to an outpouring of support for the Brazilian forward and galvanised a series of local and international campaigns, including the creation of a FIFA anti-racism committee made up of players.
“During the hearing, the defendants read a letter of apology to Vinicius Jr, LaLiga and Real Madrid,” LaLiga said in a statement on Monday.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, right, in action with Cadiz’s Ivan Alejo [Juan Medina/Reuters]
Real Madrid said the defendants had shown repentance and, in their letter, had “asked fans that all traces of racism and intolerance should be banished from sporting competitions”.
“Real Madrid, which together with Vinicius Jr has acted as private prosecutor in these proceedings, will continue to work to protect the values of our club and to eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sport,” the club added in a statement.
The 23-year-old Vinicius helped Real Madrid to win the LaLiga title and the Champions League this past season. He was named the Champions League’s player of the season and is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player in October.
Sixteen incidents of racist abuse against Vinicius have been reported to Spanish prosecutors by LaLiga in the last two seasons.
In March, Vinicius broke down in tears at a press conference and said he was struggling to stay motivated and enjoy playing football due to the recurring abuse, urging Spanish authorities to take action.
“People should know that this type of act is punishable, punishable as a hate crime, because the conviction is for crimes against moral integrity but with the aggravating circumstance of hatred,” state prosecutor Susana Gisbert told reporters.
In April, Spanish TV station Movistar Plus+ fired analyst German Burgos after Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain refused to give interviews to the network following a comment he made about Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal that was interpreted as racist.
In the same month, Atletico Madrid and Getafe were ordered to partially close their stands following racist and xenophobic abuse in a LaLiga game, while a third-division match between Rayo Majadahonda and Sestao River was suspended after Rayo’s Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Kane Sarr confronted a rival fan who he said was racially abusing him.
The bodies of hundreds of protesters filled the streets outside the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to mimic the mass casualties in Israel’s war on Gaza. The city in northern Spain was besieged and bombed during the Spanish Civil War.
Madrid, Spain – After Spain recognised Palestinian statehood, Pedro Sanchez met with his Palestinian counterpart, Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, and leading officials from several Middle Eastern countries in Madrid.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Jordan were among the group that later posed for a photo on the steps of the Moncloa Palace in the Spanish capital.
“On behalf of President [Mahmoud] Abbas and the government of Palestine, the people of Palestine, we warmly welcome Spain’s recognition of the state of Palestine,” Mustafa said of Spain’s historic move. “This recognition strengthens our resolve to continue our struggle for a just and lasting peace.”
Ireland, Norway and Slovenia have also joined Spain in the push that has been roundly condemned by Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sent a furious direct message addressed to Sanchez on X, writing: “Hamas thanks you for your service,” along with a 17-second video that flipped between images of flamenco dancers and apparent scenes of the Palestinian group’s incursion into southern Israel on October 7.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) May 26, 2024
He has accused Spain of complicity “in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes” and called Spain’s deputy prime minister, Yolanda Diaz, anti-Semitic after she closed a speech with the pro-Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea”.
Widely used at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, the slogan refers to the British mandate borders of Palestine, which stretched from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean before Israel was created in 1948.
“It is the year 2024, the days of the Inquisition are over. Today the Jewish people have a sovereign and independent state, and no one will force us to convert our religion or threaten our existence – those who harm us, we will harm them in return,” said Katz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.
For months, diplomatic relations between Israel and Spain have descended to new lows. Each side has summoned ambassadors as the war in Gaza rages.
After Spain’s landmark move, Israel ordered the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem to halt services to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as a “punitive” measure.
And tensions are certain to rise further, as Spain on Thursday announced it would join South Africa’s genocide case before the International Court of Justice against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Spain is the first European nation to back the case.
Long a supporter of Palestinian rights, Spain led the push towards recognition hoping to pave a pathway to peace and a two-state solution.
Sanchez said the “historic decision … has a single goal and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace”.
According to some observers, pressure from Sumar, a far-left party and the junior partner in Spain’s coalition government, had an impact on the final decision by Sanchez, who also reportedly plans to host an international peace conference in Madrid.
But Manuel Muniz, dean of the School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs at the IE University in Madrid, said Israel may oppose Spain’s involvement in future peace talks.
“In terms of the impact on Spain-Israel relations, it is quite evident that the short-term effects are significant,” he told Al Jazeera.
“What remains unclear, is the impact that all this will have in the longer term. It probably means Israel will push back against Spanish involvement in future peace talks with the Palestinians. But this will depend on the nature of the government in Israel.”
Isaias Barrenada Bajo, a specialist in relations between Spain and Palestine at the University of Complutense in Madrid, said the unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state was the culmination of years of cross-party policy in Spain.
In 2014, the Spanish parliament passed a motion to recognise the Palestinian state but it never came to fruition.
“What has made the difference now is the war in Gaza and the pressure of Sumar to recognise the Palestinian state,” he told Al Jazeera.
Barrenada said since the death of the dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975, all Spanish governments of differing political colours have supported Palestine’s right to a state.
Away from the political arena, popular opinion in Spain appears to favour backing a Palestinian state.
A survey for the Real Elcano Institute, a think tank based in Madrid, found 78 percent of Spaniards favoured the recognition of Palestine, while 18 percent were against and 4 percent did not know.
Jorge Hernandez, 42, a car company executive from Barcelona, believes Spain had to act.
“The United States and Britain are doing nothing but the killing on both sides goes on. Other countries must do something. I don’t know if recognising Palestine will make any difference, but we have to put some pressure so the fighting stops,” he told Al Jazeera.
But among Spain’s small Jewish population, estimated to number about 50,000, some say the atmosphere has worsened since October 7.
On that day, Hamas led an incursion into southern Israel that sharply escalated the historic Israel-Palestine conflict, during which 1,139 people were killed and 250 were taken captive.
Israel’s onslaught of Gaza since, by far its deadliest war on the besieged enclave, has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians to date, according to health officials.
Israel’s justification for its military campaign of crushing Hamas remains elusive.
Ruth Timon, 57, a Jewish lawyer from Madrid, says she avoids conversations about Gaza in case they blow up into a row.
She said her son has faced verbal abuse at the Madrid university where he is a student.
She believes that Sanchez’s decision to recognise Palestine was motivated by domestic political factors.
Spain’s left-wing coalition government depends on smaller regional parties for a majority but has failed to pass this year’s budget and other laws.
“Politically in Spain we are in a complicated situation. No laws have been passed. The government cannot do anything, so it concerns itself with international politics,” Timon told Al Jazeera.
“Sanchez is focusing on Palestine and Ukraine ahead of the European elections. [His] Socialist party, I think, believes supporting Palestine may bring support in the European elections.”
Government spokesman slams right and far-right parties for going after Begona Gomez.
A Spanish court has summoned the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as part of a corruption investigation that the government has denounced as a political hit job.
Begona Gomez is to appear in court on July 5 to answer questions about allegations that she used her position to influence business deals, a Madrid-based court said on Tuesday.
Gomez has yet to publicly address the case, but Sanchez has called it a “smear campaign” to damage the leftist coalition government led by his Socialist Workers’ Party.
Spanish government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria told reporters on Tuesday that the probe involving Gomez is based on “lies and disinformation” and the government knows “there is absolutely nothing here.”
“What we have here is a mudslinging campaign by the right and the far right, the Popular Party and Vox,” she said after the weekly cabinet meeting.
The investigation is based on allegations brought by a group called Manos Limpias, or Clean Hands.
The group has pursued legal cases, many of which have been linked to right-wing causes and have targeted leftist politicians. Manos Limpias, which has seen many of its lawsuits against politicians fail, has said its complaint is based on media reports.
After the probe was launched in April, the prime minister took the unprecedented step of saying he would halt his public duties to contemplate whether he would step down from his post.
Spanish public prosecutors had sought to dismiss the probe, but a provincial court ruled that the lower court judge could continue the investigation. The judge can now either suspend the corruption probe or recommend the case go to trial.
The announcement of Gomez’s summons was made days before voting begins in elections to choose the next European Parliament. Spanish citizens vote on Sunday.
What: UEFA Champions League final When: Saturday, June 1, 8pm local time (19:00 GMT) Where: Wembley Stadium, London Who: Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs Real Madrid (Spain)
How to follow our coverage: We’ll have all the build-up from 4pm local time (15:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport.
If the hype were to be believed then the 14-time winners Real Madrid may as well be crowned Champions League kings now.
The reality is that the 1997 winners, Borussia Dortmund, are far from dark horses.
Madrid, who lifted their 33rd LaLiga title this season, have reached the 70th European showpiece with an unbeaten record in the competition, something they have never done before.
Dortmund, similarly, are in fine form and second only to Madrid in the competition this season with only one defeat in their last 11 European matches.
Real Madrid won a record-extending 33rd LaLiga title this season [Susana Vera/Reuters]
Escaping the Group of Death with flying colours
Dortmund were drawn in a group with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United. The Germans recovered from a 1-0 opening defeat in Paris to top the group with fly colours with three wins and two defeats thereafter, finishing three points clear of French and Italian giants, PSG and Milan.
PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands were swept aside in the round of 16 but another Madrid club awaited Dortmund in the quarterfinals where Atletico claimed a 1-0 lead after the first leg in Spain. A 4-2 win at Signal Iduna Park ushered the home side into the last four.
PSG would await Dortmund once again in the semifinals and, even after their display in the group, the French champions were the favourites one again but 1-0 wins in each leg saw the Parisians’ European dreams end yet again.
Madrid, who last lifted the Champions League trophy two seasons ago, stormed to the top of their group with a maximum 18 points beating Italian champions Napoli into second while Sporting Braga and Union Berlin were eliminated.
The knockout stages provided far sterner tests with Leipzig, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all pushing Madrid to the brink, the latter two requiring penalties and a last-minute turnaround respectively to progress.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 9, 2024
For Dortmund, their task is not only to take down the latest crop of Galacticos on a relentless road to the final but also, arguably, the competition’s greatest manager. Carlo Ancelotti has won six of his seven appearances in Champions League finals.
The 64-year-old Italian has won a record four titles as a coach and two as a player but will not be taking this game, or the latest shot at extending his own record haul, lightly.
“It’s the same as it was the first time,” Ancelotti said. “First there is the joy of being here, then the concerns will come and the fear will come. The cold sweat will arrive Saturday afternoon, it’s normal, I’m already prepared for it.
“[But] this team gives me a lot of confidence, I see them focused on the match, they are in Champions [League] mode.”
Ancelotti guided Madrid to the Champions League trophy in 2014 and 2022 and having previously won the competition as a player and manager with AC Milan.
In the other dugout, Edin Terzic who, at 41 years of age, is at the other end of his managerial career. Indeed in 2013, when Dortmund won their only European crown, Terzic was a fan in the stands and only beginning to forge his way as a coach having never played professionally.
“We have our own story,” Terzic said of Dortmund’s challenge, much as his own, in facing proven European winners. “We have the story of ups and downs of the last years. We are a team that builds up to compete every year, but now we are there and we are facing teams that are built to win the Champions League.”
How great a challenge to Real Madrid are Borussia Dortmund?
Outside Germany, a lot of fans believe Dortmund is a middling club but in reality, they are the closest challengers to German powerhouse Bayern Munich.
Last season, they only needed to beat Mainz to claim the Bundesliga title. A 2-2 draw saw Bayern skip ahead to lift the trophy on the final day.
Their league campaign this season has been underwhelming with Bayer Leverkusen upsetting both Munich and Dortmund to claim the title by 17 points from Stuttgart while last season’s top two finished third and fifth respectively.
Only Nurnburg, whose last of their nine titles came in 1969, better Dortmund’s challenge of eight crowns to Munich’s 33 titles in Germany. Dortmund’s last Bundesliga came in 2011-12 when they completed back-to-back titles for the second time in their history. Indeed, Dortmund were runners-up in four of the five seasons prior to this campaign’s drop-off.
Financially Bayern’s value is more than double that of Dortmund ($465m), who have slipped to fourth on the German financial list. It’s not bad for a club whose city is the seventh largest in Germany – yet the club have the country’s second-largest fan membership.
Borussia Dortmund’s connection to their fans – who represent the second-largest club membership in Germany – is world-renowned [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]
Madrid’s financial value, meantime, has risen to more than a billion dollars with the Spaniards at the top of the globe’s football-rich list.
“For me they’re the biggest club in the world, I’ve always wanted to play against Real,” Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck said ahead of the final.
“But we shouldn’t be afraid, we shouldn’t be in awe.
“It has to be a completely normal game for us. We were often the underdogs in the Champions League this season, and that has suited us quite well.”
From 2013 heartbreak for Dortmund to Real hope against Madrid
Schlotterbeck, 24, is part of a formidable pairing in the centre of defence with 35-year-old Mats Hummels, who won the Player of the Match award in both legs of the semifinal against PSG. It is a solid foundation upon which Dortmund can build and free them to focus on their own game against Real.
“For us, it means getting into our game quickly, moving the ball quickly, and imposing our game on Real Madrid a bit,” Schlotterbeck said.
“If we can do that, then I’m optimistic that we can make it.”
Hummels was part of the 2013 side, along with the soon-to-depart club legend Marco Reus, that helped Dortmund to their last Champions League final only to be defeated by a last-minute Arjen Robben goal for Bayern Munich. A game that was also played at Wembley Stadium.
Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrates beating Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final [John Sibley/Reuters]
This current run has seen Dortmund keep clean sheets in six of their last 11 Champions League games. Madrid, however, have only lost one of their last 20 UEFA competition matches against German teams, winning 13.
A strong season for the Germans ended last year with a heavy thump, a more difficult campaign this time around could be about to end with a high experienced only once before.
“Perhaps we thought too much about it [the league] back then. But we know what happens here in the city when we win a title and what it means to people,” Schlotterbeck added.
“Last season we had something to lose against Mainz, now we have something to win.
“We have to seize this opportunity.”
Team news
Real Madrid are boosted by the return of Thibaut Courtois in goal. The Belgium international has played only four times this season and has not featured in the Champions League.
His stand-in during that period, Andriy Lunin, missed the flight to London with flu but is expected to link up with the squad ahead of the game. David Alaba is absent through injury while fellow defender Eder Militao is struggling to prove his fitness after a long layoff.
Sebastien Haller is Dortmund’s only doubt as the Ivorian striker struggles to regain full fitness following an ankle problem. Julien Duranville and Ramy Bensebaini are both definitely out.
Act of pardon draws a line under political turmoil set off by secessionist drive, but could face further legal hurdles.
Spain’s parliament has green-lighted a bill granting amnesty to hundreds of Catalan secessionists involved in a botched breakaway bid seven years ago.
The controversial bill, passed 177-172 on Thursday, will see courts annul the legal records of hundreds of officials and activists involved in crimes related to Catalonia‘s secessionists push from 2011, paving the way for a return of the movement’s exiled leader, Carles Puigdemont.
The act of pardon draws a line under Spain’s worst political crisis in decades, which saw Catalan pro-independence leaders, who had won the 2015 regional election in Catalonia, hold a full referendum in 2017 that was declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court.
The bill, opposed by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox, has had a rocky ride through parliament.
Initially approved by the lower house in March, it was vetoed in the upper house, where right-wing parties hold a majority, earlier this month. But the lower house pushed it through regardless.
Even though it has now been passed, it is likely to face legal challenges.
Earlier this week, a PP spokesman said that the party would do everything to “overturn” the law, whether through appeals to the Constitutional Court or “social pressure” on the street.
The law must also be applied by courts on a case-by-case basis, with individual judges deciding whether the amnesty applies.
They have two months to raise issues with the Constitutional Court or the European justice system which could delay its implementation for some time.
‘Forgiveness’
“Forgiveness is stronger than resentment,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after the bill was passed.
Sanchez had put forward the amnesty proposal in exchange for support in parliament from Catalan secessionist parties enabling him to stay on as prime minister after an inconclusive election last year.
The new law paves the way for the return of independence figurehead Puigdemont, leader of Together for Catalonia (JxCat), one of the parties that had backed Sanchez’s coalition government.
Puigdemont led the 2017 secession drive before fleeing the country and going into self-exile in Belgium, where he has resided ever since while evading extradition. Other pro-independence leaders are also exiled.
Spaniards are divided over the amnesty, the bill having caused large protests over the past few months.
In a survey by the El Mundo newspaper in March, 62 percent of respondents across Spain rejected the amnesty, but in the Catalonia region alone most voters – 48 percent – supported it.
Protesters around the world have condemned Israel for its ongoing attacks on Rafah in southern Gaza, which have killed dozens of displaced Palestinians since the ICJ ordered Israel to halt its assault.
Israel accuses Pedro Sanchez of incitement to Jewish ‘genocide’ as Madrid seeks ‘viable’ state of Palestine.
The establishment of a Palestinian state is “the only route to peace” in the Middle East, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says.
Sanchez spoke on Tuesday before a cabinet vote to formally recognise a Palestinian state. Ireland and Norway are set to take the same step, provoking fury from Israel.
The Spanish prime minister called the move “a matter of historical justice”.
“The only route towards establishing peace is the establishment of a Palestinian state, living side by side with the state of Israel,” he said.
“The state of Palestine must be viable with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Madrid will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders unless agreed to by both parties, he said.
The occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip were among the territory Israel seized in 1967 in the Arab-Israeli War.
The Spanish cabinet was due to certify the formal recognition after a meeting on Tuesday. Ireland and Norway are expected to follow suit.
Malta and Slovenia have also suggested they will take the same step although not immediately.
The leaders of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said in March that they were considering recognising a Palestinian state as “a positive contribution” towards ending the war in Gaza, drawing the ire of Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Sanchez of being a “partner to incitement” to Jewish “genocide”.
Commenting on X, Katz drew a parallel between Spanish Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz on the one hand and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar on the other after her call for a free Palestine “from the river to the sea”.
Spain, Ireland and Norway announced their plan to formally recognise Palestine last week, prompting Israel to recall its ambassadors from all three countries.
Palestine has already been recognised by 144 other countries.
Of the 27 members of the European Union, Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria have already recognised a Palestinian state.
Britain and Australia have said they are considering recognition, but France has said now is not the time while Germany joined Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, in rejecting a unilateral approach, insisting that a two-state solution can be achieved only through dialogue.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs at least seven more Patriot launchers to defend itself against Russian air attacks.
Spain has pledged 1 billion euros ($1.1bn) in military aid to Ukraine as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have signed a security deal in Madrid.
The deal “includes a commitment for 1 billion euros in military aid for 2024”, Sanchez said at a joint news conference on Monday.
The pact, which covers the next decade, calls for the supply of modern military equipment for ground, aerial, naval and other uses, “prioritising Ukraine’s key capacity needs”, and an emphasis on protecting sea routes for Ukraine’s food exports, but it gave no specifics.
“It will allow Ukraine to boost its capabilities including its essential air defence systems to protect its civilians, cities and infrastructure, which are still suffering indiscriminate attacks as seen this weekend in Kharkiv,” Sanchez said, referring to a Russian strike on the northeastern city that killed at least 16 people at a hardware hypermarket on Saturday.
Zelenskyy visited the Spanish capital as Ukraine battles a Russian ground offensive in the Kharkiv region that began on May 10 in Moscow’s biggest territorial advances in 18 months.
With Russia’s full-scale invasion now in its third year, Ukraine has been pleading for more weapons for its outgunned and outnumbered troops, notably seeking help to address its lack of air defence systems.
Sanchez said Spain had already pledged to supply Patriot missiles but what Zelenskyy needed from Ukraine’s allies was “the systems to launch these missiles”.
In a post on the social media platform X, Zelenskyy thanked Spain for “its tangible and truly life-saving support to Ukraine in this time of war” and said he also discussed how Madrid could play a role in strengthening Kyiv’s air defences.
Spain will send “another batch of Leopard tanks and above all ammunition”, Sanchez said, pledging to keep working with Kyiv “to understand how else – and with what other alternative systems – we can help ensure Ukraine’s air security”.
Today in Madrid, Prime Minister @sanchezcastejon and I signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation.
Spain will provide Ukraine with €1 billion in military assistance this year and additional €5 billion for the period 2024-2027 through the Ukraine Assistance Fund under… pic.twitter.com/zETHgcb44o
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 27, 2024
Zelenskyy has signed bilateral security agreements with several other countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
He said Ukraine needed at least seven more Patriot missile launchers to defend itself and would pressure its allies to obtain them.
The president said Russian forces have used about 3,200 guided aerial bombs this month.
“How do you fight that? There aren’t enough air defence missiles to stop thousands of bombs a month. … Those partners who are afraid to give us this or that weapon should understand that air defence is defence, not offence,” he added.
Zelenskyy will next visit the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Tuesday and is expected to sign a similar 10-year agreement.
Investigations are under way into the cause of the incident at the start of the island’s tourist high season.
A two-storey building in Spain’s popular tourist island of Mallorca has collapsed, killing four people and injuring nearly two dozen more.
Emergency services wrote on social media platform X on Thursday that seven of the victims were in a “very serious” state and nine others had “serious” injuries and were being treated in different hospitals.
The building, which housed a restaurant, collapsed in the Playa de Palma area to the south of the Mediterranean island’s capital Palma de Mallorca.
A spokesperson for the local police told radio station RNE said the first emergency calls came in at about 8pm (18:00 GMT).
“The terrace has come down, probably due to excessive weight,” he said, adding that the cause of the disaster was still being investigated.
Public television for the Balearic Islands, IB3, where Mallorca is located, reported there were people dancing on a terrace that collapsed on top of the floor underneath.
‘Nightmarish’
One firefighter described a “nightmarish” scene to the newspaper Ultima Hora, saying that when he arrived, people were crying and screaming around the rubble on the ground floor.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez conveyed his condolences to the victims’ families on X, saying he was “closely following the consequences”.
The central government was prepared to send “all the necessary resources” to help the regional authorities cope, he added.
Sanchez said he had spoken to the president of the Balearic Islands region and to the city’s mayor.
Balearic Islands President Marga Prohens said on X that she was “shocked” by the news, adding she was sending “love and warmth to the families of the four people who have lost their lives”.
Mallorca is known for its pristine waters and beaches, and more than 14 million tourists visited the islands last year, according to official figures.
Thursday’s collapse took place at the start of the high tourist season, on a beachfront avenue home to several shops and entertainment venues.
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