Riot cops clash with anti-tourist protesters chanting ‘Barcelona is not for sale’ as holiday fury sweeps Spain
RIOT cops and anti-tourist protesters have gone head-to-head in a violent clash outside a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Barcelona.
Dramatic footage from the scene showed protesters banging pots and screaming in officers’ faces, as police swung at them with batons.
Cops dressed in riot gear with batons and helmets confronted tens of protesters as they tried to block access to Barcelona‘s renowned Park Guell, which had been closed off for a Louis Vuitton fashion show.
They swiped at the protesters who pushed toward them in a pack and shoved them back with their hands.
One man was handcuffed by a cop while lying face-down on the road, after he punched at an officer who appeared to have earlier struck him and a woman with a baton.
Demonstrators were heard chanting slogans like “Barcelona is not for sale” and accused the local council of “privatising” public spaces.
Some stood directly in front of police officers, their faces only inches apart, and stared intently into the cops’ helmets.
Huge crowds shouted as police battled with the protesters, some of whom carried signs and were dressed in expressive clothing and makeup – such as in a wedding dress made of plastic, or with blood tears painted beneath their eyes.
The demonstrators were understood to have been protesting a number of different social issues including tourism, gentrification, the privatisation of public places by the city council, and animal rights.
Banners hung around the area were painted with phrases such as “Louis Vuitton go home”, and graffiti on walls read: “Tourist go home.”
One local woman, Cesca Sancho, told the BBC: “For years the city council has forgotten about Park Guell and we, the neighbours, have taken care of it.
“Now they come here, they invade. Other times there have been events and parties in the park, but not like this.
“This way, we neighbours look like terrorists.”
The controversial Louis Vuitton show was attended by Saoirse Ronan, Jennifer Connelly, and Ana de Armas, among other celebrities.
It comes as anti-tourist fury continues to sweep Spain, with protesters expected to run rife across Majorca this summer.
Campaigners threatened to block the international airport in Palma by massing cars outside and causing a traffic gridlock.
And thousands are expected to take to the streets of Majorca in anti-tourist protests this weekend after similar demonstrations were seen in Tenerife and other Canary Islands last month.
Organisers said about 2,000 people were initially due to join the protests, which will begin about 7pm tomorrow in Palma, but it was now looking like there would be “considerably more”.
Protesters expressed fury over the high cost of renting and buying homes on the island, which they say is the result of tourism.
Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots
IT isn't just Mallorca where anti-tourist measures are being implemented across Europe.
Many top holiday destinations across the continent are taking action to prevent unwanted travellers from taking over their towns and cities.
Locals feel they can no longer live in the iconic destinations because they have become overcrowded, unsafe and uncomfortable.
In April, thousands of people took to the streets in Tenerife to demand restrictions on holidaymakers after telling Brits to “go home”.
The anti-tourist hordes filled a square in the capital brandishing banners including some that read “You enjoy we suffer” in English.
Protests also took place at the same time on other popular Canary islands including Lanzarote and Gran Canaria.
The marches were organised under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”
Hotel bosses in Benidorm have even admitted they are “very worried” by the anger growing amongst island residents but branded holiday homes in Spain a “virus”.
More recently, the Committee on Tourism, Trade, Employment, Culture and Sport reportedly approved an initiative to reintroduce a cap on cruise ships to Palma, Majorca’s capital.
Politicians are keen to implement a new set of rules on cruise ships in terms of taxation, the environment or the use of less polluting fuels to lower numbers coming into the Balearics.