OVIEDO, Spain Spanish climate activists vandalized the mansion of Argentina footballer Lionel Messi in Ibiza on Tuesday. Members of the activist group Futuro Vegetal covered the mansion’s white walls with splatters of black and red dye and managed to get into the property’s backyard. In front of its luxurious pool, patio and football court, protesters posed with a sign reading: "Help the planet.
Eat the rich. Abolish the police.” 💥 ACTUAMOS 💥 Tintamos la mansión ilegal de Messi en Ibiza 🧯 La Mansión se trata de una construcción ilegal que el futbolista adquirió por la exorbitante cifra de 11 millones de euros 🤑 https://t.
co/mslVlqLvfd pic.twitter.com/aK8GUqsr9i On social media, the protestors claimed that the €11 million ($12 million) mansion was built illegally.
The group pointed to a news story by Spanish daily El Diario that found how some of the ultra-wealthy in Ibiza, including Messi, had been busted for illegally amplifying their homes on the Mediterranean island. Besides the housing regulation, Futuro Vegetal also lamented the role of the rich in climate emissions. "The 1% richest of the population is responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the poorest two-thirds of the population," the group wrote on social media platforms.
The activists also said that while they were vandalizing the mansion, between two and four people died in Spain’s Balearic islands due to a heat wave. On Tuesday, parts of Mallorca are under a heat warni.