Protests in Spain see 30,000 storm city's streets to tell holidaymakers 'go home'
A peaceful Sunday was ruined for tourists in both Majorca and Ibiza as thousands of protesters took to the streets, with one mob even holding up a cruise ship
Protesters in Spain, riled by the strain of mass tourism on housing and services, have hit the streets in British holiday hotspots once more, brandishing signs demanding tourists to 'go home. '.
Majorca and Ibiza, usually peaceful escapes for Brits seeking sun and tranquillity, were echoed with the uproar from thousands of demonstrators this Sunday as they sought to pressure authorities into action.
Holidaymakers were left gobsmacked, witnessing local inhabitants voicing their grievances over the inundation of cruise ships, private planes, and holiday let landlords, blamed for escalating living costs and tarnishing the charm of their idyllic Balearic islands.
At one juncture during the protest, said to have drawn 30,000 people to Palma's streets according to organisers, police stepped in at a central bar to shield patrons from protesters' heckles and drumbeats.
Starting at 6pm in Palma's centre and mirrored by a smaller rally in Ibiza, the protesters disturbed visitors' evening dinner with chants of "tourists go home" and placards proclaiming "Majorca is not for sale," along with "Your vacations, our anxiety."
At the demonstrations, some expressed their anger towards "guiris", the local slang for Brits or foreigners, but the central issue remained the rise of Airbnb-style rentals which have transformed considerable parts of residential housing into holiday lets, leading to soaring rents.
One local told the Mail, "I'm protesting because I don't want 80 per cent of my money to go on rent. I don't want to be forced to speak only English or German in my apartment block.
"I don't want my friends to have to go to the mainland when they have children just to be able to afford a dignified life, a lot of us are fed up."
A 32-year-old Master's graduate residing in Majorca stated: "I'm here because I cannot afford to buy my own place, I'm having to live with my parents because the rent is also too much.
"There are also far too many people coming to the island for holiday, our resources cannot cope, there needs to be a limit."
The Balearic Islands of Spain played host to over 15 million international visitors last year, with a population hovering around 1.2 million. In certain tourist hotspots, it is estimated that as many as one in three homes are being used for holiday accommodation.
More protests similar to the one on Sunday are scheduled for the summer, not only in the Balearics but also in mainland hotspots like Barcelona and the ever-popular Canary Islands. In past years, these demonstrations have caused significant disruption for holidaymakers, with protestors confronting sunbathers on the beach and even engaging in heated disputes with irate tourists.
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