Moment furious hotel worker fights back against crowd of anti-tourism protesters as they seal off his business in Barcelona and bombard it with water guns and smoke canisters
Thousands of people took to the streets across Spain to demonstrate against overtourism on Sunday, with protestors seen firing water pistols at shop windows, setting off coloured smoke and clashing with police.
Dramatic footage taken from outside a hotel called Generator shows an agitated worker as he confronted protesters saying he was 'only working' after furious activists tried to cordon off the building with tape.
In the clip, the unnamed worker walks out of the hotel and cuts the tape off with a pair of scissors.
But protesters erupt in anger and start to boo and blow whistles at the man while they quickly tape up the entrance of the hotel again and push him inside.
In a separate video, the employee is seen spitting at the swarms of protesters, while another recording shows him taking a water pistol off a demonstrator to spray water on them.
MailOnline has approached the hotel for comment.
Authorities in the north eastern Spanish city said around 600 people joined the demonstration over the weekend.
The employee is seen spitting at the swarms of protesters and firing a water gun at them
Barcelona city of 1.6 million, drew 26 million tourists last year.
There were similar demonstrations in other parts of Spain including Ibiza, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastian and Granada.
Thousands marching were heard telling Brits to 'go home' as they banged drums and chanted slogans at stunned tourists as they enjoyed their evening meals.
The protests were organised by the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification (SET), and are supported by local activist groups.
Many locals living in tourist hotspots in Spain believe the industry's model has become too excessive.
They say the numbers of visitors continue to increase year by year, creating an increasing demand on local resources.
They also complain that the overwhelming amount of tourist activity is causing environmental pollution, particularly in Tenerife, where natural landscapes are not being properly protected by local authorities, while a surge in pleasure boats and sewage waste are polluting the marine environment, they claim.
More importantly, the explosion of Airbnb-style properties has seen property prices surge over the past five to 10 years.
In holiday hotspots, landlords are choosing to rent to tourists instead of selling or renting to local families.
A
This is stripping housing supply and making the available stock far more expensive and out of reach for a growing number of locals.
The protesters marched for over a kilometre before gathering in Plaza de Reina near to the seafront.
A series of activists gave speeches demanding a 'drastic' change in laws regarding the tourism industry - including banning Airbnb style properties from the island.
Dozens of officers from the armed National Police force were seen escorting the protesters throughout the march, which ended without incident.
In Ibiza, another popular Spanish island for British holidaymakers, similar protests took place demanding reductions to tourism.
Around 1,000 protesters took part in the march organised by major anti-tourism platform Canviem el Rumb, which has been carrying out demonstrations in the Spanish holiday hotspot over the last year.
Security was stepped up to protect tourists from the demonstrators, who left Portal de Ses Taules in the town centre at around 6pm and ended at Plaza de sa Graduada, in front of the courts at 9pm.
The protests aim to keep pressure on governments to address the problems generated by tourism, including rising rents, housing shortages and environmental damage.
Activists believe the current tourism model is 'unsustainable' and pushing the islands toward collapse.
They want to limit the number of tourists visiting the islands, ban new hotel construction and introduce a tougher tourist tax, among other measures.
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