British tourists visiting Majorca for their holidays have been defended during a massive protest march in the island's capital. Police and the Balearic Government have confirmed that around 10,000 protestors took to the streets of Palma from 7 pm on Sunday 21 July, to demonstrate about mass tourism and its effects on their homes and livelihoods. During the one-hour march, protestors displayed angry banners, making it very clear that they were not happy with the number of holidaymakers - including Brits - who pour into Majorca each year.
They carried hundreds of placards and banners, telling tourists to go home and that they were not welcome on the island. Government officials had warned the campaigners to watch their behaviour so that repeats of scenes in the country's capital, Barcelona, when tourists were sprayed with water from toy guns, would not be seen in Majorca. Did you get caught in the protests in Spain yesterday? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.
com However, a group of residents, mainly from Palma itself, tried to turn the tables on the protestors by showing they are in support of tourists. Pro-tourism supporters sabotaged anti-tourism campaigners' banners by slapping them with their own stickers, saying that holidaymakers were welcome in Majorca and the other Balearic islands of Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. "Why bite the hand that feeds you?" asked the pro-tourism campaignters.
This was Palma's second major demonstration this year against tourist saturation under .
