Graffiti urging people to ‘kill a tourist’ has appeared in Tenerife, with anti-tourism protestors across Europe now planning more action this summer
Anti-tourist protesters are planning a summer of disruption once again as a shocking sign threatening to ‘kill a tourist’ has appeared in Tenerife.
Footage of the graffiti being painted was posted online by a group called Islas de Resistencia, which describes itself as “a project to recover the memory of social movements in the Canary Islands”. Spanish party isle Ibiza saw the first signs of hostility last month when access to a popular viewing point was blocked with boulders. Thousands flocked to gaze at rocky Es Vedra at sunset but the site’s owners say they are sick of being invaded.
They put up a sign which read: “Private Property. Restricted Access.” Activists last week also reportedly torched and smashed hire cars in Tenerife.
Shocking video footage posted online appeared to show vandals pouring flammable liquid on the ground, then setting fire to around 20 rental vehicles in the southern Tenerife resort of Costa Adeje. Last summer shocked holidaymakers ran into demos from campaigners who blame tourism for a housing and cost-of-living crisis, and ringleaders have now refused to rule out tactics such as blocking airports.
At least 15 groups from holiday hotspots in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France will team up in Barcelona next month to plot more protests. The Neighbourhood Assembly for Tourist Degrowth said it wanted to “strengthen the network of the territories of southern Europe against tourists”.
Activists argue the current tourism model is damaging the environment and putting huge strains on resources such as water. In addition, many local residents complain they are being priced out of the property market by investors snapping up accommodation to rent out to holidaymakers.
Across Spain, protests took place throughout the spring, summer and autumn of 2024, including in some of the most popular destinations such as the Balearics and the Canaries. One group behind the wave of demonstrations in Majorca is the Banc de Temps collective in the sleepy village of Sencelles. The Mirror tracked down one of the leaders of the group who sat down with us to explain their position.
The activists released a video last year highlighting the housing crisis in the village, which has a population of around 4,000 people. They blamed the shortfall in accommodation on tourism and organised a protest in May in Palma.
Expecting a turnout of just 2,000 people, five times the number that ended up taking part in the protest, Javier Barbero, 52, explained he was amazed by the impact his video had but that it had struck a nerve with locals fed-up of mass tourism and rampaging Brits in resorts like Magaluf.
He warned the protests will not stop until action is taken in Majorca and other Balearic islands in order to help locals afford to live there. He told The Mirror: “We’re not going anywhere until we get what we want and if that means the economy will take a hit in the short term, I think it’s a price worth paying for the long-term future of the people who live here. Protests will continue until our demands are met.”
The collective released a new video on Monday, claiming the situation had got worse and hinting at further action to come. “Almost a year ago we were shouting loudly,” they said in the video. “But this has done nothing.
“Thousands of people in the streets, demanding the right to live in Majorca without having to be rich. And now? We are even worse off. Rents are skyrocketing, people are being expelled, desperation is growing.
“Meanwhile, they look the other way. We don’t want anyone else to leave. We are again saying enough is enough.” Majorca is one of the four islands making up the Balearics – with the others being Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Activists from the Menys Turisme, Més Vida (less tourism, more life) movement are also planning more demonstrations this year.