Several months ago, the National Police arrested a man accused of threatening the president of the regional government, Marga Prohens, via social media. The incident drew attention to the dangers public figures face online and the swift response required to investigate serious threats.
The regional leader explained in the Balearic Parliament that she had been subjected to these attacks and chose to file a formal complaint because of the severity of the actions. In September 2023, officers from the National Police Information Brigade detained a young man of Spanish origin on suspicion of issuing grave threats through a social network against the president of the Balearic Government. This case underscored how online hostility can spill into real-world consequences and the need for accountability when public figures are targeted.
Prohens has stated that unlike other national figures, she has not used the threats as political leverage. She noted a moment when the national president took time off for a period described as a disciplinary pause, contrasting the responses and framing of the events in the media and political discourse. Her remarks highlighted a distinction she makes between personal safety concerns and the political commentary surrounding leadership at the national level.
During her parliamentary address, the president criticized her opponents for what she described as personal attacks against her family in the chamber and claimed that while some members point fingers at her, elements connected to their side have also engaged in aggressive tactics, sometimes extending beyond public policy into personal matters. Her account framed the dispute as part of a broader pattern of political contention that permeates public life at the regional level.
From the other side, the Socialist spokesperson Iago Negueruela accused Prohens of pursuing a strategy he called political destruction of opponents. He argued that she used legal mechanisms to challenge rivals in ways similar to a legal strategy some observers refer to as lawfare. He also criticized Prohens for her past positions on related issues, including how she addressed incidents involving public figures who faced allegations of abuse. In his view, those past actions reflected a broader approach to governance and media strategy that he described as confrontational and divisive rather than collaborative.