Anti-tourist demonstrators have erected fake closure signs on Majorcan beaches to deter holidaymakers from visiting them. It is their latest attempt to rid the Island of tourists following a wave of protests sweeping the Canary and Balearic Islands . Unhappy locals have already taken to the streets arguing that the 14 million foreign visitors descending on the island each year are to blame for housing shortages and skyrocketing prices.
In a separate action, residents of a picture-postcard village in Galicia caused traffic chaos by walking back and forth across its zebra crossings to thwart frustrated visitors trying to reach the coast. Both protests, which took place more than 850 miles apart, highlighted the breadth of the campaigns targeting tourists . The fake closure signs were erected in Manacor in eastern Majorca on Saturday by a group known as Caterva.
It put up red tape and English signs reading "Beach Closed" at several coves in the area, including the secluded white-sand cove Cala Varques and a "hidden" cove good for snorkelling and diving called Cala Petita. Caterva said in a post on X: “New action by Caterva in Manacor. We closed coves for residents’ use and rest.
Let’s change course and prioritise life.” In a subsequent statement it added: “We believe the tourist is part of the machinery and has responsibility for the situation we suffer. “But the main people responsible are those who own the hotel chains and construction companies and real estate fir.