ACTIVISTS fighting mass
tourism in
Spain have started a new wave of attacks by hijacking a
tourist bus in
Barcelona and letting off green and white smoke flares.
Two members of the youth organisation Arran stormed the coach this morning when it stopped outside the Olympic village and hung a huge sign saying "Stop mass tourism in the Catalan countries".
The campaign group posted a picture of the demonstration on its Facebook page where it had earlier warned of new protests in various parts of Spain to show their disgust at overcrowding in holiday hotspots.
The activists insist they are NOT against tourism but "massification" which, they say, is ruining local people's lives, harming the landscape, damaging beaches, pricing residents out of the property market and "eating up the coastline".
Just two weeks ago, protestors wearing masks from the same group had to be cut free after chaining themselves to a famous Gaudi sculpture in Barcelona.
The new attack happened just before 10am this morning, with Arran saying tourist buses are "a symbol" of what they are fighting against.
The protestors climbed to the top level of the open-air bus, hung their poster and let off two smoke flares. There were holidaymakers on the coach but it is understood no damage was caused to the vehicle and no-one was hurt.
Arran confirmed on their Facebook page that they stormed the tourist bus to continue their protests against mass tourism.
In the Catalan language, they said: "ATTENTION: Yes, we've stopped a tourist bus in #Barcelona to denounce the massive tourism model that strikes us! ❌ # capitalismofòbia # StopMassTourism."
According to sources from Barcelona Metropolitan Transportation, the two protestors left the bus within a short space of time.
The first deputy mayor of Barcelona, Gerardo Pisarello, called the action "a symbolic initiative". In statements to the press, he said: "It is one of the many that occur in Barcelona, we must promote a debate on the city's tourism model."
After the Gaudi sculpture incident, Arran said it was "just the start" of a summer campaign aimed at mass tourism.
Last summer, protestors daubed "Tourists go home" graffiti in holiday locations, slashed the tyres of tourist rental bikes, stormed a hotel reception and caused extensive damage, held up holiday coaches and pelted them with eggs and superglued the locks of businesses linked to tourism.
The protestors wore hoods when they sabotaged an open-top tour bus near the Nou camp in Barcelona last summer, slashing the vehicle's tyres and daubing slogans on its side. Many of those on board thught it was a terrorist attack rather than what transpired to be a protest.
In Majorca, a group of Arran members also staged a demonstration at the upmarket Palma marina, letting off pink flares and storming a restaurant to throw confetti at alarmed diners.
Arran says the current tourism model is "designed solely and exclusively on the basis of the economic interests of the class that exploits it" and "threatens the lives of people".
Arran adds on its Twitter site: "Summer arrives and we start once again the campaign against mass tourism. It's not tourismphobia, it's a class struggle" and adds: "We present the campaign for this # Summer2018 against the mass tourism that expels us from cities, destroys the coastline and sweeps up the entire mountains."
In its new campaign statement, the group says the current tourism model does not help the majority of the Spanish population.
Arran states: "Tourism generates work, of course, but we cannot base our economy on a finite, unsustainable sector.”
The campaigners say property owners are pricing local people out of the market by renting to tourists, jobs in the industry are low-paid with long hours, land is snapped up for amusement parks and only those involved in tourism businesses reap the financial rewards.
Their call for action includes:
*Freezing all new licences for hotels or companies linked to tourism.
*Start a public dbate on a new sustainable tourism model.
*Prohibit immediately the activity of companies related to tourist flats, such as Airbnb, as well as regulate the price of housing.
*Reduce and limit the number of cruises arriving in the different ports of the Catalan countries.
*Improve labour conditions, increase and control salaries and eliminate illegal working in the "black economy".
*Increase taxes to companies in the tourism sector and allocate revenue to diversify the economy.
*Seize the main tourist companies and assets of the country, such as the various marinas, hotels such as Vela or Las Arenas, or themed parks such as Port Aventura and use the profits to help all the population.