More than 1,000 attend mass anti-tourism protest in Menorca amid backlash at ‘overcrowding’ fuelled by boozy UK holidaymakers

More than 1,000 angry locals attended an anti-tourism protest in Menorca, amid backlash over ‘overcrowding’ fueled by drunken British holidaymakers.

At the mass demonstration in the Plaza de la Biosfera, opposite the island’s town hall, people showed up with loungers, towels and parasols to create a fake beach for the day on the concrete.

Ahead of yesterday’s protest, lead organizer GOB Menorca denounced the “colonization of tourism” and in particular Airbnb-style holiday rentals, which have been linked to a lack of affordable housing. gets worse.

‘Colonizing tourism is gaining ground, first on the coast, then in the countryside, then in the cities and now also in our homes.’

At the protest, locals carried signs with angry messages in Catalan.

Protesters photographed on Saturday during an anti-tourism demonstration in Menorca. It comes amid backlash over ‘overcrowding’ fueled by drunken British holidaymakers

A young girl pictured at the protest, holding up a sign. The mass demonstration in the Plaza de la Biosfera, opposite the island’s town hall, also saw people showing up with sun loungers, towels and parasols as they recreated a beach for the day on the concrete.

At the protest, locals carried signs with angry messages in Catalan

One read: ‘Whoever loves Menorca doesn’t sell it’, while another said: ‘I can’t swim in the sea because it’s full of boats.’

Local Pau Marques, who showed up in swimming trunks and a hotel-style spa bathrobe, said: “Today we’re dressing up as tourists, so maybe they’ll listen to us.”

GOB spokesperson Miquel Camps emphasized that the demonstrators were not ‘anti-tourism’.

He said: ‘We are not going to sit back and do nothing if our politicians are unable to slow down tourist saturation.’

Last month it was reported that angry Menorcan residents of a holiday resort known as ‘Spanish Mykonos’ had chained their streets in their latest attempt to prevent holidaymakers from entering their private properties.

The nearly 200 homeowners of Binibeca Vell, located in the south of the island of Menorca, said they do not want visitors before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Anti-tourism signs were hung on thick rope and chains throughout the holiday hotspot.

Locals have long complained about rowdy tourists disrespecting their homes by climbing stairs, onto private balconies, and even entering doorways to locals’ homes as they look for perfect spots.

Binibeca Vell’s nearly 200 homeowners say they don’t want visitors before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Known for its whitewashed houses and winding walkways, Binibeca is home to just 500 permanent residents in the summer

Nearly 800,000 people visit the picturesque village of Binibeca every year

Famous for its whitewashed houses and winding alleys, Binibeca is home to just 500 permanent residents in the summer, but around 800,000 tourists arrive every year, wreaking havoc on the local population.

But recent images show the small town almost completely deserted, as several alleys have ropes and chains hanging between entrances and round signs indicating no intruders.

The new blockades are Binibeca’s first anti-tourism measure before residents vote in August on whether to ban holidaymakers.

The latest protest in Menorca comes days after similar demonstrations in Ibiza and Mallorca.

An estimated 15,000 people took part in the protest in the Mallorcan capital Palma on April 25, prompting one of the organizers to apologize afterwards for abuse directed at foreign holidaymakers.

Shocked tourists were booed and jeered by locals as they ate evening meals on terraces in Palma’s Weyler Square.

Protesters were also heard chanting “tourists go home” as they passed the main square on the 20-minute route to the iconic Paseo del Borne street.

Campaigners waved banners, including one with the offensive message: ‘Salvem Mallorca, guiris arruix’, which in Catalan means ‘Let’s save Mallorca, foreigners out’.

Protesters shout at shocked holidaymakers enjoying dinner and drinks in Palma

Protesters hold a banner reading ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ during a demonstration to protest mass tourism and house prices

Last week, photos emerged of empty beaches in the popular seaside resort of Magaluf

It emerged on Friday that protesters are planning a major demonstration in the Balearic Islands next month at the height of the festive season, with July 21 the likely date.

The show of unity will see people protest across the archipelago, which lies off the coast of eastern Spain, including Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera.

Organizers predict this will be the largest protest of its kind in Spain since thousands took to the streets in the Canary Islands on April 20.

Government officials admitted at the time that 30,000 people had taken part in the march on Tenerife alone, but demonstration leaders estimated the number at 80,000.

Margalida Ramis, head of the affiliated group GOB Mallorca, which will play a leading role in organizing the July plans, said: “We are already working on this and in contact with groups on the other islands.

‘We hope that those who supported the recent protests in Mallorca and Ibiza will join others, such as tourism industry workers, in taking part.

‘The overcrowding of tourists affects people from different sectors.

‘The reality of the current situation for many people in the Balearic Islands is insecurity about work and life, lack of housing and the impossibility to forge life projects on the islands. Tourist saturation also brings environmental and ecological problems.’

Jaume Pujol from Fridays for Future Mallorca added: ‘We want to mobilize the island’s elderly who have seen how it has been destroyed, migrants who have come here in search of work, teachers and doctors who cannot pay the rent.’

In a separate protest, campaigners have vowed to ‘retake’ a Mallorcan beach that has been transformed into a holiday hotspot by influencers, after accusing British tabloids of ‘provocation’.

The words ‘Go Home Tourist’ were scrawled in English on a wall beneath a property billboard in Nou Llevant, Mallorca, a neighborhood that has seen a huge influx of foreign buyers in recent years

Campaigners in Ibiza held up banners reading “We don’t want an island made of cement” and “Tourism, yes, but not like this” as they gathered outside the island’s council headquarters.

The noisy protest started on May 24 at 8 p.m. in Ibiza Town

The organizers of the Ibiza demo, a group called Prou ​​​​Eivissa – which literally translates to ‘Enough Ibiza’, met with Ibiza president Vicent Mari before taking to the streets

The picturesque Calo des Moro bay on the southeast coast of the island will become the final battleground on June 16.

Mallorca Platja Tour – Mallorcan beach tour – started their campaign on June 1 on the south coast of Sa Rapita Beach.

It was announced as the first show of force for a “major event” on June 16 with the slogan: “We fill the beach with Mallorcans.”