Footage showed the moment anti-tourism protesters in Mallorca attacked holidaymakers dining out, booing them and shouting “tourists go home”.
Ten thousand demonstrators took to the streets to vent their anger at tourist overcrowding, chanting “Save Mallorca! Foreigners leave!”
Thousands of anti-tourism protesters jeered and booed holidaymakers dining out in Palma. Photo credit: SolarpixProtesters took to the streets to vent their anger at tourist overcrowding across Mallorca. Photo credit: SolarpixAn estimated 10,000 people were thought to have taken part in the demonstration, with organisers saying “this is just the beginning”. Photo credit: Solarpix
The march in the capital, Parma, culminated when protesters began booing and heckling tourists as they enjoyed dinner in Weiler Square.
“Tourists go home” could be heard as they made the 20-minute walk from the park where the protest began to the iconic Paseo del Borne.
Among the banners held up by activists was the offensive message: “Save Mallorca, kick the foreigners out”, which translates in Catalan to “Save Mallorca, kick the foreigners out”.
It’s a play on the Spanish colloquialism “Guiri”, which is usually used somewhat unkindly to describe Nordic tourists, such as the British holidaymakers who party in Magaluf.
The Palma protest was organised by Banco del Tan, a group from the inland Mallorcan town of Cencelles, which claimed 25,000 people took part in the demonstration, although government authorities put the number at around 10,000.
But organisers were later forced to apologise for the harsh criticism levelled at holidaymakers, hitting back saying “this is just the beginning”.
Spokesman Javier Barbero said of the targeting of some tourists: “We did not mean to attack tourists and it should not have happened.”
“If measures are not taken, we will continue to take to the streets until we see action.”
Another campaign group, which took part in Saturday’s demonstration under the slogan “Mallorca is not for sale”, described the organisers as “heroes” after it ended.
The manifesto published by Banco del Tan as protesters finished their march in Palma included calls for only people who have lived in the Balearic Islands for five years to be able to buy property, as well as a moratorium on holiday rentals.
Protests have erupted across Mallorca in the popular resort town of Menorca, nicknamed the “Mykonos of Spain,” with chains being erected in streets to stop tourists entering.
“This island should be a place where children can grow up in safety and dignity, with managed tourism that does not restrict our lives,” one speaker said.
Parma March
The protests were the biggest since demonstrations against mass tourism in the Canary Islands last month and the second in the Balearic Islands within 24 hours.
Around 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Ibiza on Friday night to vent their anger over the impacts of mass tourism.
Activists gathered outside the Ibiza Council headquarters, holding banners that read “No cement island” and “We support tourism, but not this island.”
Organisers of the protest, a group called Prou Eivissa, met with Ibiza’s President Vicente Mari before taking to the streets.
But on the other side of the island, in San Antonio, British tourists ignored a ban on drinking alcohol in the streets which could see them fined up to £1,300 if they are caught.
The protesters’ demands included limiting the number of vehicles allowed on the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ money to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination.
Protesters carried banners with the word “Giri,” a somewhat derogatory term for Europeans visiting the park resort of Magaluf. Photo by Solarpix. Scenes of chaos unfolded as demonstrators made their way through Palma’s Plaza Weiler. Photo by Solarpix. The protest group was later forced to apologise for their verbal outburst against tourists. Photo by Solarpix
There are fears protesters will flood airports in a bid to be taken more seriously, which would cause disruption to travel for Britons.
Anti-tourist graffiti has appeared across Spain, Tenerife and Greece in recent months, with protests also taking place in the Canary Islands, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens and Venice.
In Biniveka, a Menorah Burit hotspot, locals took steps to restrict tourists from accessing the roads after selfie-loving tourists caused chaos.
The photos showed chains and ropes used to book holidaymakers into private entrances and alleyways for photo opportunities in an area dubbed the “Spanish Mykonos”.
While some foreign tourists have voiced support for the issues raised by activists, others have accused the activists of biting the hand that feeds them.
Locals complain of too many cars on the roads, traffic jams, crowded beaches, closed access roads, ruined beauty spots and the high numbers of holidaymakers on the island which are expected to reach record numbers this summer.
Meanwhile, outrage has erupted in another popular resort town over an anti-tourism plan that includes cracking down on “illegal” visitors and drawing up a list of “fascist” foreigners.
Residents and businesses in the Spanish city of Girona say “overtourism” has reached its limit and that it is “too late” to do anything but, calling for urgent action.
Locals in the Catalan town have proposed increasing patrols to find illegal tourist apartments and drawing up a list of all foreign residents in Girona.
The controversial plans have infuriated many expats, with some denouncing the proposals as “fascistic”.
One user said: “Far-right nationalism in Girona. Populism seems to be taking root even in traditionally left-leaning liberal areas.”
People walk in front of anti-tourism graffiti that reads “Tourists go home.” Photo by Rex. Hundreds of protesters poured into the streets of Ibiza in yet another anti-tourism demonstration across Spain. Photo by Solarpix. Crowds gather in central Ibiza for further protests.
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