More than 1,000 attend mass anti-tourism protest in Menorca
- Comes amid large demonstrations in Mallorca and Ibiza at tourism levels
- Protesters created a mock beach complete with deckchairs and towels
More than 1,000 furious locals attended an anti-tourism protest in Menorca amid backlash at ‘overcrowding’ fuelled by boozy UK holidaymakers.
The mass demonstration on the Plaza de la Biosfera, in front of the island’s council building, saw people turn up with deckchairs, towels and sunshades to create a mock beach for the day on the concrete.
Ahead of the protest yesterday, lead organiser GOB Menorca slammed ‘colonising tourism’ and in particular Airbnb-style holiday rentals, which have been linked to a lack of affordable housing, claiming: ‘For years Menorca has been increasing excess tourism and the congestion is getting worse.
‘Colonising tourism has been gaining ground, first on the coast, then in the countryside, then towns and now also in our homes.’
At the protest locals carried placards bearing angry messages in Catalan.
Protesters pictured at an anti-tourism demonastration in Menorca on Saturday. It comes amid backlash at ‘overcrowding’ fuelled by boozy UK holidaymakers
A young girl pictured at the protest holding up a sign. The mass demonstration on the Plaza de la Biosfera, in front of the island’s council building, also saw people turn up with deckchairs, towels and sunshades as they mocked up a beach for the day on the concrete
At the protest locals carried placards bearing angry messages in Catalan
One read, ‘whoever loves Menorca doesn’t sell it’, while another said, ‘I can’t swim in the sea because it’s full of boats.’
Local Pau Marques, who turned up in swimming trunks under a hotel-style spa robe, said: ‘Today we’re dressing up as tourists so perhaps they’ll listen to us.’
GOB spokesman Miquel Camps, insisted the protestors were not ‘anti-tourist’.
He said: ‘We’re not going to sit back and do nothing if our politicians are not capable of putting the brakes on the tourist saturation.’
Last month it was reported that furious Menorcan residents living in a resort town known as ‘Spain’s Mykonos’ had chained up their streets in their latest bid to stop holidaymakers intruding on their private properties.
The nearly 200 homeowners of Binibeca Vell, which lies on the south of the island of Menorca, said they do not want any visitors before 11am or after 8pm.
Anti-tourist signs attached to thick rope and chains were hung up throughout the holiday hotspot.
Locals there have long complained of rowdy tourists disrespecting their homes by climbing stairs, scaling private balconies and even entering doorways to locals’ homes as they hunt for picture perfect spots.
The nearly 200 homeowners of Binibeca Vell say they do not want any visitors before 11am and after 8pm
Known for its whitewashed cottages and twisting walkways, Binibeca can only accommodate 500 permanent residents in the summer
Nearly 800,000 people visit the picturesque village of Binibeca every year
Binibeca, famed for its whitewashed cottages and twisting alleys, can accommodate just 500 permanent residents in the summer, but every year around 800,000 tourists pile in and cause havoc for locals.
But recent images show the small town almost completely deserted as several alleyways have ropes and chains hanging between the entrances with round signs indicating no trespassers.
The new blockades are Binibeca’s first anti-tourist measure before residents take a vote on whether to ban holidaymakers altogether in August.
The latest protest in Menorca comes days after similar demonstrations in Ibiza and Majorca.
An estimated 15,000 people took part in the protest in the Majorcan capital Palma on April 25, which led to one of the organisers having to apologise afterwards for abuse directed at foreign holidaymakers.
Shocked tourists were booed and jeered by some locals as they ate evening meals on terraces in Palma’s Weyler Square.
Marchers were also heard chanting ‘tourists go home’ as they passed through the central square on the 20-minute route to the iconic street Paseo del Borne.
Campaigners waved banners including one with the offensive message: ‘Salvem Mallorca, guiris arruix’ which in Catalan means ‘Let’s save Majorca, foreigners out’.
Protesters shout at shocked holidaymakers enjoying dinner and drinks in Palma
Protesters hold a banner reading ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ during a demonstration to protest against mass tourism and housing prices
Pictures emerged last week of empty beaches in the popular resort of Magaluf
On Friday it emerged protesters are planning a huge demonstration across the Balearic Islands next month at the height of the holiday season, with July 21 put forward as the probable date.
The show of unity will see people protest across the archipelago, which lies off eastern Spain, including in Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera.
Organisers predict that it will be the largest protest of its kind in Spain since thousands took to the streets across the Canary Islands on April 20.
Government officials admitted at the time that 30,000 people had taken part in the Tenerife march alone but demonstration leaders estimated the figure to be 80,000.
Margalida Ramis, head of affiliated group GOB Mallorca which is set to take a leading role in the organisation of July’s plans, said: ‘We are already working on this and are in contact with groups on the other islands.
‘We’re hoping those who supported the recent protests in Majorca and Ibiza will take part along with others like tourist industry workers.
‘Tourist overcrowding affects people from different sectors.
‘The reality of the current situation for many people in the Balearic Islands is job and life insecurity, lack of housing, and the impossibility of forging life projects in the islands. Tourist saturation also brings with it environmental and ecological issues.’
Jaume Pujol, of Fridays for Future Mallorca, added: ‘We want to mobilise the older people of the island who have seen how it’s been destroyed, migrants who have come here looking for work, teachers and doctors who can’t pay rents.’
In a separate protest, campaigners have vowed to ‘reclaim’ a Majorcan beach, which has been turned into a holiday hotspot by influencers, after accusing British tabloids of ‘provocation’.
The words ‘Go Home Tourist’ were scrawled in English over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant, Mallorca, a neighbourhood that has seen a massive influx of foreign buyers over the past few years
Campaigners held up banners in Ibiza saying ‘We don’t want an island of cement’ and ‘Tourism, yes but not like this’ as they massed outside the island’s council HQ
The noisy protest kicked off on May 24 at 8pm in Ibiza Town
The organisers of the Ibiza demo, a group called Prou Eivissa – which literally translates to ‘Enough Ibiza’, met with Ibiza’s president Vicent Mari before taking to the streets
The picturesque cove of Calo des Moro on the island’s south-east coast is set to become the latest battleground on June 16.
Mallorca Platja Tour – Majorcan Beach Tour – started their campaign on June 1 at south coast Sa Rapita Beach.
It was billed as the first show of strength for a ‘big event’ on June 16 with the slogan: ‘We fill the beach with Majorcans.’
