Vandals have covered hundreds of sunbeds on two popular Tenerife beaches in anti-tourist graffiti as part of a continued campaign against holidaymakers.
Over 230 sunbeds lying on Las Vistas beach and El Camisón, both on the south of the island, were vandalised in the early hours on Thursday morning, local media reported.
Protestors scrawled anti-tourism slogans including ‘Canarias se defiende’ (The Canary Islands defend themselves) and ‘Canarias no se vende’ (The Canary Islands are not for sale).
Local officials said they were appalled by the scenes.
Fátima Lemes, the mayor of Arona Council, where the vandals struck, said the graffiti was ‘an attack on the heritage of Arona’ that harms both residents and visitors.
‘The people of Arona are very conscious of protecting our environment, but unfortunately, there are always exceptions that threaten the common good, which is like attacking all of us’, she furiously added.
The destruction comes following a bitter wave of anti-tourist protests that engulfed Spain over the summer and autumn months.
In October, around 1,000 protesters took to the streets of the Basque city of San Sebastian in a new Spanish anti-mass tourism protest.
Local officials said they were appalled by the scenes
Graffiti has appeared in the Canary Islands telling tourists to ‘go home’
Noisy protestors stormed a Tenerife beach in October during a new anti-mass tourism march as shocked holidaymakers sunning themselves under blue skies watched on
Activists walked behind a banner that said in Basque and Spanish: ‘Decrease in tourism now.’
A spokesman for organisers BiziLagunEkin, referencing claims from politicians and hotel bosses as well as many ordinary Spaniards and British holidaymakers that the protests risk harming the country’s economic prosperity, said: ‘Tourism which is the goose that lays the golden eggs for a few, is for the majority an economic model that suffocates us.
‘We say the city model is designed to favour the tourist industry and that means residents’ living conditions get worse and worse.’
British holidaymakers launched a backlash against anti-tourist locals in Tenerife who have told them to ‘go home’ the same day of the San Sebastian protests.
Despite facing calls to return home, Brits were seen entirely unfazed on the beach.
One person was spotted casually browsing on his phone while another flashed a peace sign at a camera trying to film him.
Astonishing footage showed holidaymakers being surrounded and penned in by Spanish locals while they were sunbathing in swim shorts and bikinis.
Locals were heard shouting ‘No hay camas pa’ tanto guiri’ – which in English would translate as ‘There’s not enough beds for so many foreigners’.
Over 230 sunbeds lying on Las Vistas beach and El Camisón, both on the south of the island, were vandalised
This couple were enjoying a day out at the beach when noisy protesters took over
Holidaymakers were targeted by a mob of placard-waving locals who are furious about the current tourism model
One woman was carrying a cardboard poster which said: ‘Tourists, go f*****g home.’
Other posters borne by protesters said: ‘Enjoying a day at your pool? That water could be going on food’ as well as ‘Macrotourism destroys Canary Islands’ and ‘The Canaries have a limit. More trees, less hotels.’
Another in Spanish said: ‘The Canaries Don’t Live off Tourism. Tourism lives off the Canaries.’
One couple, whose nationality is not known, were filmed lying trapped on their beach towel in their swimming costumes while they were surrounded by protesters on all sides making noise and waving banners.
Other holidaymakers were spotted leaving the area as they saw the beach being overwhelmed by the unexpected visitors.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
