A viral video showing a Palma carriage driver throwing water over a German influencer and calling her a “Nazi” after she urged him to give water to his horse has prompted a formal council investigation, with the driver later apologising for his actions while disputing the tourist’s version of events.
A carriage driver in Palma, Majorca, has been filmed drenching a German influencer with water and calling her a “Nazi” after she confronted him over the condition of the horse pulling his carriage. Xenia Denise, 31, had approached the driver after becoming concerned about the animal, with footage showing her standing beside the horse repeatedly telling him: “Just give him something to drink.” The clash has since gone viral, prompting Palma City Council to open a formal investigative proceeding into the incident.
How the confrontation unfolded
According to the footage, rather than watering the horse, the driver turned his anger on Denise, getting in her face and telling her: “Go to McDonald’s and eat burgers.” The exchange then appeared to turn physical, with the driver putting his hands in Denise’s face before throwing water at her and calling her a “Nazi.”
Denise has said the footage only captures part of the confrontation. She has additionally claimed the driver pointed at her body from top to bottom before moving behind her and shouting: “Look at that ass, she needs some McDonald’s.”
The driver’s response
The driver has since been identified as Manuel Vargas, who is also president of the local carriage drivers’ association. Vargas has publicly apologised for throwing the water, saying: “I apologise to the woman and to anyone who may have been offended. I know I did wrong.” However, he disputes Denise’s account of how the confrontation began.
Vargas claims that Denise and her friends insulted him and other drivers first, allegedly calling them “animal abusers” and using the word “gypsies.” He says the drivers subsequently contacted police because they felt the tourists were frightening away potential customers. His son was reportedly present during the incident, and Vargas says his son’s account supports his version of events. The drivers’ association has therefore presented a substantially different narrative to Denise’s, maintaining that the group provoked the confrontation rather than the driver acting unprompted.
Council investigation launched
Palma City Council has opened a formal information and investigative proceeding into the incident, with the city’s Mobility Department examining what happened and determining whether any action should be taken against the carriage operator. The council said it “will not tolerate” behaviour that could breach the obligations and conditions imposed on the city’s horse-carriage operators and drivers.
It is worth noting that the investigation has not established that the horse was actually malnourished or mistreated. The animal’s condition is currently based on Denise’s observations and the video footage, with authorities continuing to investigate the circumstances.
Animal rights groups demand action
Animal rights organisation Progreso en Verde has called for Vargas’s licence to be revoked and says it intends to pursue legal action over the alleged assault and harassment. The organisation has also renewed its demand for Palma’s horse-drawn carriages to be replaced entirely by electric vehicles, rather than continuing to rely on horses for tourist transport.
Denise’s campaign has drawn additional support from PETA Germany, which has used the incident to renew calls for tourists to avoid animal-drawn attractions more broadly. She has accused the driver of animal abuse, urged tourists not to give him money, and shared a petition calling for an end to the horse-drawn carriage trade. Writing on social media, she said: “There are still emaciated horses in Palma. Such s*** should be abolished.”
The footage has since been viewed more than 12 million times online, generating a wave of supportive responses. One follower wrote: “I admire your strength so much, to speak up and to not back down. What this man is doing is absolutely unacceptable, those poor horses. Thank you so much for being brave and setting such a great example for the rest of us.” Another wrote: “You were very brave. The world needs more people with empathy for animals who suffer at the hands of unscrupulous people.” A third urged Denise to escalate the matter formally, writing: “I hope you take it to the police. How can people be like that?”
A long-running debate over Palma’s carriages
The incident has reignited a broader and long-standing row over tourist carriage rides in Palma. During the peak summer season, temperatures in the city can reach 40C, and campaigners have long argued that working animals can be pushed to the point of exhaustion in such conditions, with some raising separate concerns about animals appearing malnourished or in poor condition.
This is not the first time the issue has drawn scrutiny in Palma. In September 2025, a carriage horse collapsed in the city centre at temperatures of around 32-33C, with passers-by helping the animal before the driver eventually gave it water. That collapse reignited demands for an outright ban on horse-drawn carriages, having come just 48 hours after another carriage horse reportedly collapsed in the city, according to coverage at the time.
There is also a significant regulatory backdrop to the current controversy. Palma had previously operated an automatic suspension of horse-carriage services during yellow heat alerts, but this rule was scrapped after being successfully challenged on procedural grounds, meaning operators can currently continue working during such alerts under the existing framework. Carriage operators argue that working in hot weather remains safe provided horses have access to water and shaded areas, and say municipal water points are available for this purpose.
The industry has publicly committed to transitioning to electric carriages, with its association saying it expects roughly half of Palma’s fleet to be electric by next year, though no firm timetable has been set for completing the changeover. Other major Spanish tourist destinations have moved further and faster on the issue: both Barcelona and Málaga have already prohibited traditional horse-drawn tourist carriages entirely, while Palma continues to pursue its more gradual electric-carriage transition instead.
