Footage showed the moment anti-tourism protesters in Mallorca attacked tourists as they dined out – booing and shouting “Tourists go home”.
The group of 10,000 protesters took to the streets to vent their anger at tourist saturation while shouting “Let’s save Mallorca. Foreigners out”.
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The march through the capital of Palma reached a climax when protesters appeared to boo and jeer alongside tourists enjoying their dinner in Weyler Square.
They were heard shouting “Tourists, go home” as they made the 20-minute journey from the park where the protest began to the iconic Paseo del Borne street.
The banners the activists carried included one with the offensive message: “Salvem Mallorca, guiris arruix” which in Catalan Spanish means “Let’s save Mallorca, foreigners out.”
He took advantage of the Spanish colloquial expression Guiri, used to portray tourists from northern Europe, such as British tourists partying in Magaluf, often in a slightly offensive way.
The Palma protest was organized by the Banc del Temps, a group originating from the city of Sencelles in the interior of Mallorca, which claimed that 25,000 people joined the demonstration, although government officials estimated the number at around 10 thousand.
But organizers were later forced to apologize for the outburst aimed at tourists – but hit back, saying “this is just the start of things”.
Spokesman Javier Barbero said of the targeting of some visitors: “We didn’t want to attack tourists and that shouldn’t have happened.
“If measures are not taken, we will continue to take to the streets until we see action.”
Another campaign group that took part in Saturday’s demonstration, held under the slogan “Mallorca is not for sale”, later described the organizers as “heroes”.
The Banc del Temps manifesto made public as protesters finished marching through Palma included a demand that only people who had lived in the Balearic Islands for five years could buy property, as well as a moratorium on vacation rentals.
One of its speakers said: “This island must be a place where our children can grow up in safety and dignity, with controlled tourism that does not condition our lives”.
MARCH PALMA
The protest, the largest of its kind since last month’s demonstrations in the Canary Islands against mass tourism, was the second in 24 hours in the Balearic Islands.
On Friday night, around 1,000 protesters took part in a demonstration in Ibiza to vent their anger at the effects of mass tourism.
Activists held up signs saying “We don’t want a cement island” and “Tourism, yes, but not like this” as they gathered in front of the Ibiza Council headquarters.
The organizers of the demonstration, a group called Prou Eivissa, met with the president of Ibiza, Vicent Mari, before taking to the streets.
British tourists on the other side of the island in San Antonio, however, rejected a ban on street drinking, which could land them in fines of up to £1,300 if they were caught.
Protesters’ demands included a limit on the number of vehicles that can enter the island in summer and a ban on using taxpayers’ money to promote Ibiza as a tourist destination.
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It is feared protesters could flood airports in a bid to be taken more seriously – a move that would cause travel chaos for Brits.
Anti-tourist graffiti has appeared in Spain, Tenerife and Greece in recent months, with protests in the Canary Islands, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens and Venice.
In the Menora Brit hotspot of Binibeca, locals resorted to restricting tourist access to the streets after selfie-loving tourists wreaked havoc.
The images showed chains and ropes used to book tourists out of private doorways and alleys to take photos in the area dubbed the “Mykonos of Spain.”
Some foreign tourists showed their support for the issues raised by the activists, but others accused them of biting the hand that feeds them.
Locals say there are too many cars on the roads, traffic congestion, overcrowded beaches, blocked access roads, beautiful sites in ruins and too many tourists flocking to the island, which is expecting record numbers this summer.
Meanwhile, another holiday hotspot has sparked fury over its anti-tourism plans, which include the hunt for “illegal” visitors and a “fascist” list of foreigners.
Residents and businesses in Girona, Spain, argue that they have reached their limit with “excessive tourism” and have called for urgent measures as “it is already too late”.
Residents of the Catalan city have proposed increasing the number of patrols to find illegal tourist apartments and creating a list of all foreign residents living in Girona.
The controversial plans have left many expats furious, with some branding the proposals “fascist”.
One user said: “Far-right nationalism in Girona. It appears that populism is taking hold even in traditionally left-leaning liberal areas.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
