On a recent stroll through Palma, you might have noticed large queues forming in front of soup kitchens, charity shops, church outlets, the Red Cross or voluntary organization such as the Salvation Army. The queues are a sign of these times being hard and harsher than they used to be, certainly for the unfortunate unemployed and low in income or on supplementary benefits.

Whilst the more affluent citizens form queues to benefit from the recently started Rebaixes (sales), the down-and-out file into queues to obtain some food, some handouts, free clothing or such like. According to church organizations, the Red Cross and the Convent dels Caputxins (Pa de Sant Antoni breadline), the uptake of such free charity aid or handouts is at least twice that in numbers of one year ago, possibly even more.

Our politicians seem to turn a blind eye, once again, at the misery that has befallen parts of our society.

The photos were taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 13th, 2012. The time was 08:44:17 and 09:08:10, respectively.