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UK demands shutdown of Spanish website ranking tourist deaths as another Brit plunges from balcony
A 15-year-old British girl is in a serious condition after falling from a first floor balcony in Mallorca this week
A politician from the UK has stepped up to demand the immediate shut-down of an “utterly vile” social media page which keeps a morbid ‘Balcony League’ score chart, ranking countries by the number of deaths and injuries associated with balcony incidents.
The chilling online group, called Federació Balear de Balconing, or Balearic Balconing Federation in English, openly mocks tourists who have died or been seriously injured after falling from balconies in Spain.
Member of the Scottish Parliament, Christina McKelvie, has openly called for the page to be removed following the tragic death of 19-year-old Emma Ramsay in Ibiza last week.
The young Scotswoman fell from the sixth floor of a hotel in Sant Antoni on Tuesday August 20. Not long after she passed away from her injuries, the Federació described her death as a “comeback” for British balcony falls.
“The British NEVER disappoint,” it wrote.
“Everyone trusted that the kings of this sport would once again be leaders.”
The UK currently tops the macabre list, followed by Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
“This is utterly vile and my heart goes out to the loved ones of anyone who has been targeted by this organisation,” MSP McKelvie said.
“It is reprehensible that anyone would seek to exploit and use tragic deaths in such a cruel manner.”
She continued: “The sooner the organisation is shut down, the better, and social media organisations should take any action they can to remove such deplorable content from their sites.”
The group itself maintains that their ‘Balcony League’ isn’t the issue, but rather “mass tourism” in the Balearic Islands, yet another reference to the often inaccurate justifications behind the so-called anti-tourism movement sweeping Spain.
Over the weekend, another activist group placed fake ‘beach closed’ signs in several popular spots in Mallorca to warn off holidaymakers and a few weeks ago, disturbing graffiti was spray painted in public places urging people to “kill a tourist”.
Sadly, news has emerged of another balcony tragedy in Spain this week. On Tuesday August 27, a 15-year-old British girl fell from the first floor of a building in S'Illot (Sant Llorenç).
She was rushed to Son Espases Hospital in Palma at around 9pm and while her condition is understood to be serious, no further details are available at this time.
Image: Federació Balear de Balconing/X
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