Watch as activists troll the mayor with a cake that looks like an illegal Algarrobico Mega Hotel on Almeria Coast he won’t demolish

Greenpeace has surprised the mayor of Almeria with a cake that looks like the hotel.

Video posted Wednesday showed activists handing the cake, complete with a sign reading ‘illegal hotel,’ to Carboneras mayor Salvador Hernandez, whom Greenpeace accused of stalling the demolition of the 411-room resort.

On February 21, 2006, a court order had stopped construction on the Hotel Algarrobico. It was named after the beach that it is located.

Judges ruled it had been built inside the 100-metre protected coastal zone in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park – land classed as state-owned and strictly off-limits for development.

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Luis Berranquero was Greenpeace Andalucia regional coordinator. He said, “We did not want to miss this bittersweet anniversary.”

He added: “Sweet because we celebrate the fact that this monstrous icon of coastal destruction was stopped 20 years ago.” “Bitter because it’s still there after 20 years of trying to knock it down.”

With the cake, activists also handed Hernandez a petition urging Andalucia’s High Court of Justice (HCJ) to investigate him for contempt of Court.

In the letter, Greenpeace alleged he allowed a key court order to expire without revoking the hotel’s building permit – further delaying demolition.

Berranquero explained that many people have asked how a city hall or a person could ignore a Supreme Court order for four long years. “The Carboneras Town Hall dragged its feet far too much over a series administrative steps that could have completed in less than fifteen days,” Berranquero said.

There are no more excuses. He added, “They must comply and they haven’t.” Twenty years is enough. The hotel should be demolished, and the beach restored.

READ MORE: Notorious Algarrobico Hotel illegally built in natural Park in Southern Spain ‘to be demolished’

The Algarrobico project dates back to the late 1990s, when Madrid-based developer Azata del Sol snapped up 16 hectares of prime beachfront in Carboneras – land that would soon form part of the natural park.

Construction began after the controversial approval of a license by the local council in 2003. Environmental groups immediately raised alarms, warning the project contravened Spain’s Coastal Law. This law prohibits building within 100 meters of the coast and strictly protects land in national parks.

Greenpeace activists smashed the hotel’s facade with black paint and spelled out “illegal” in large letters.

In 2006, the courts intervened and halted construction when it was around 80% completed. Since then, the vast concrete shell is still empty.

Spain’s Supreme Court has repeatedly confirmed the hotel’s illegality and demanded demolition – yet the building permit has still not been revoked.

READ MORE OPINION Take the Algarrobico Down

Carboneras town hall has not responded to any requests for comments. Hernandez, however, rebutted Greenpeace in an online press release, insisting on the municipality’s “full cooperation with the court” in this long-running saga.

After meeting the activists, he denied the allegations of contempt, and said that the priority for the town hall is to protect the reputation of Carboneras and its residents. According to him, they are the ones who have suffered the most from years of legal chaos.

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