Shocking moment police scuffle with anti-tourist protesters yelling abuse and waving an AXE at diners in a Majorca restaurant during latest demonstrations aimed at holidaymakers

Daily Mail​

9 hours ago

This is the shocking moment Spanish police scuffled with crowds of anti-tourist protestors who yelled abuse and even waved an axe at holidaymakers sat in a Majorca restaurant.
Officers battled to contain the enraged demonstrators who whistled and jeered at tourists desperately trying to enjoy a drink and bite to eat on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, one protestor even held up an axe to indicate the extent of their intense fury towards the diners, who tried their best to stay composed despite the growing crowds.
Spanish cops were eventually forced to form a protective shield in front of the holidaymakers who were left stunned and rattled by the ongoing scuffle.
The images emerged after thousands of locals marched across Spanish islands on Sunday afternoon demanding that Brits 'go home' as part of widespread protests against so-called 'over tourism '.
A large demonstration in Palma de Mallorca saw fed-up locals banging their drums and chanting slogans as tourists desperately attempted to enjoy their evening meals.
Beginning at Plaza de España, in the heart of the tourist city, shortly after 6pm, activists claimed that more than 30,000 people took to the streets to voice their frustrations about the damaging impact of holidaymakers.
Placards held up by marchers read: 'Tourists go home', 'Mallorca is not for sale' and 'Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home.'
Meanwhile, other signs read: 'Your vacations, our anxiety.'
Footage showed Brits left visibly shocked by the demonstrations, while other tourists were seen taking refuge on their accommodation balconies.
Dozens of placards at the popular demonstration read 'tourists go home… refugees welcome', while a group of teenagers could be heard chanting 'tourists go home!' as they marched through the city.
Children taking part in the protest were seen carrying water pistols, with plans to spray holidaymakers as they pass on by.
Protesters were heard chanting slogans against Airbnb and 'guiris' - the Spanish slang term used to describe Brits and other foreigners.
One placard read: 'Rich foreign property buyers go to hell', while another said: 'Enough is enough.'
Local resident Oriol, 40, told MailOnline: 'I'm protesting because I don't want 80% of my money to go on rent.
'I don't want to be forced to speak only English or German in by apartment block.
Footage has shown Brits visibly shocked by the demonstrations, while some tourists were seen taking refuge on their accommodation balconies
'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.'
Alex, 32, has a masters degree and a well-paying job.
He told MailOnline: '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 demonstrations took place in major destinations including Barcelona, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, San Sebastian, Granada, Tenerife and Malaga.
Other European destinations involved in the action include Venice in Italy and Lisbon in Portugal.
The action is designed to 'call attention to the social and environmental costs of overtourism.'
The protests have been 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.
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
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.
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.
A woman holds up a placard reading: 'tourists go home… refugees welcome'
Major demonstrations also took place across other cities in Spain, including Barcelona, and San Sebastián, as well as other European cities in Portugal and Italy.
The protests aim to keep pressure on governments to address the problems generated by tourism, including rising rents, housing shortages and environmental damage.
Canviem el Rumb is campaigning for a reduction in tourism, which it claims is having an adverse effect on Ibiza.
'Although each of them will have their own characteristics, they will all jointly critique mass tourism and luxury tourism,' said Pau Kokura, a member of Canviem el Rumb.
The group says tourism is only helping the rich whilst the poor in Ibiza suffer, especially due to the lack of affordable housing.
It also argues that there is an overabundance of hotel rooms, making it impossible for residents to afford rentals and therefore remain on the island.
Agnès Vidal, another member of the organization, said: 'Mass tourism affects many aspects of our daily lives. This time, we want to highlight five key areas: the first, the right to water, because we have villages that dedicate themselves to irrigating water when the people of the island reduce their consumption.
'The second, the right to have a property in good condition. Third, we demand decent work, because people who work, especially during the summer, do so in terrible conditions in many sectors.
Protesters hold a banner reading 'Mallorca is not for sale' during a demonstration to protest against the massification of tourism and housing prices on the island of Mallorca in Palma de Mallorca on May 25, 2024
'We also demand the right to rest, which is often not possible with the mega-clubs. The fifth block is housing. We have more and more people living in substandard housing around Ibiza Town. And that's why we have to find a solution.'
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.
But Brits holidaying in Tenerife previously told MailOnline the locals 'should be careful what they wish for.'
A poll by Majorca Daily Bulletin found that around 44 per cent of people will now think twice about booking a holiday on the popular island after huge demonstrations over mass tourism.
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency warned: 'If this survey is accurate, local protestors should be careful what they wish for.
'The Majorcan (and other local islands) economy relies heavily on tourism to create jobs and bring money into the region.
'It would be a disaster for the area if the protests, however valid, cut off the flow of visitors and reduce income.
An aerial view of people gathering to protest soaring housing prices as part of a nationwide demonstration organized by tenant unions under the slogan 'End the Housing Business' in Madrid, Spain on April 05, 2025
A large number of people filled the streets of Palma de Mallorca, in a march against housing prices and the impact of tourism on the residents of the Balearic islands, in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, April 5
'The solution is to work with local authorities on spreading the number of visitors into the shoulder seasons, so there is a flow of tourists throughout the year rather than be concentrated over the summer.'
One regular visitor to Tenerife told MailOnline last month echoed the same sentiment.
Paul Nixon, 60, from Staffordshire said: 'I think they need to be careful what they wish for, the island is so dependent on tourism.
'I think bookings are down already to be honest, it seems quieter this year.