Hundreds flood popular Ibiza beach in protest against tourists

ANTI-TOURISM protests are flaring up in Spain with the latest stunt seeing more than 100 protestors flood an “overcrowded” beach in Ibiza. Furious locals held up banners in Catalan and English which read: “Wherever you look, it’s all tourists”. Clad in shorts and bikinis, protestors held up signs slamming Brit tourist “guiris” Credit: Solarpix The beach takeover is a retaliation to “overcrowiding” caused by tourists Credit: Solarpix Organised by the Ibiza Youth Association, the demonstration swept across a small sandy cove called Cala Saladeta – just a stone’s throw from the party resort of San Antonio. Confronted by masses of partying foreigners, the protesters fumed that “the island was not for sale”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “Public spaces will always belong to us” said the organisers in a brazen attack on tourists sunbathing on public beaches. Particular hatred is reserved for Brit tourists – who the Spaniards pejoratively call “guiris”. Stirring up frustrations online, the Ibiza Youth Association wrote in a social media post: “How often have we seen our spaces slip away from the people of Ibiza?” “How long will we accept it becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy our island? “We shouldn’t be limited to enjoying it just from November to March; we have the right to enjoy it in summer, spring, and autumn, too.” Ditching traditional protest tactics, the organisers claimed the anti-tourist stunt was an opportunity to “laugh with friends, visit with family and swim”. Most read in The Sun Just one day earlier, around 1,000 people held hands in a human chain across the centre of Palma – on neighbouring island Mallorca. The protest called on regional governments to take stronger action against outpricing locals and soaring rent prices. “All of us who were there know for certain that a liveable Mallorca with a future is possible, and we will not give up until we achieve it”, said a spokesperson for GOB Mallorca protest group. “We must protect people from this predatory tourism and capitalist model”, they added. And on July 26, clashes broke out between rioters and police in Palma after more than 20,000 people took to the streets to complain about over-tourism. Organisers claim that the figure was closer to 70,000 people. Mocking England‘s defeat against Argentina in the World Cup, protesters taunted Brit tourists with banners reading: “The Only Thing Coming Home Is You”. The slogan appeared again at a street protest in Soller, a picturesque mountain town in northwest Mallorca after tension boiled over on August 8. One demonstrator held up a sign saying: “No more second homes while locals can’t afford one.” Comment now