Protesters used water pistols against unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona on Sunday as demonstrators marched to demand a rethink of an economic model they say is fueling a housing crunch and erasing the character of the Spanish city. "The squirt guns are to bother the tourists a bit," Andreu Martínez, 42, said with a chuckle after spritzing a couple seated at an outdoor cafe, the AP reports. "Barcelona has been handed to the tourists. This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents." Similar demonstrations were planned Sunday throughout southern Europe, marking the first time a protest against tourism has been coordinated across the region.
The city of 1.7 million people hosted 15.5 million visitors last year eager to see Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia basilica and the Las Ramblas promenade. Martínez said his rent has risen over 30% as more apartments in his neighborhood are let to tourists for short-term stays. He said there is a knock-on effect of traditional stores being replaced by businesses catering to tourists, like souvenir shops, burger joints, and "bubble tea" spots. "Our lives, as lifelong residents of Barcelona, is coming to an end," Martínez said. "We are being pushed out systematically." Demonstrations are slated in several Spanish cities, the Balearic islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, as well as in the Italian postcard city of Venice, Portugal's capital of Lisbon, and other places.
In Barcelona, protesters blew whistles and chanted, "Everywhere you look, all you see are tourists." They held up homemade signs saying "One more tourist, one less resident" and "Your Airbnb was my home." There was tension when the march stopped in front of a large hostel, per the AP, where a group emptied water guns at two workers in the entrance. Firecrackers were set off next to the hostel. American tourists Wanda and Bill Dorozenski were walking along Barcelona's main luxury shopping boulevard where the protest started. They received a squirt or two, but she said it was refreshing given the warmth, about 83 degrees Fahrenheit. "That's lovely, thank you sweetheart," Wanda said to the squirter. "I am not going to complain. These people are feeling something to them that is very personal."
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