Locals say they want to take their beaches away from the millions of tourists who flock to the island every summer. Photo: MJS/SOLARPIX. COM
The group reacted violently and attacked the waiter, prompting other staff and beachgoers to get involved.
Police teams arrived and eight Britons were arrested.
The waiter was taken to medical center after being hit in the head and losing consciousness, and two police officers were also injured.
Locals say they want to take back their beaches from the millions of tourists who come to the beach. island every summer.
Many residents were furious when a Spanish politician suggested they could no longer count on enjoying their own beaches in July and August, the height of the tourist season, and instead space should be made available for foreign guests.
“I understand the frustration, but we Mallorcans, who live directly or indirectly from tourism, cannot expect to go to the beach in July and August, as we did many years ago,” said Manuela Canadas, a member the far-right party Vox to the Regional Parliament of the Balearic Islands.
Manuela Canadas, a member of the far-right Vox party, warned islanders not to bite the hand that feeds them by driving away tourists. Photo: Joan Llado/GTres/SplashNews.com
She warned the islanders not to bite the hand that feeds them. their. “There are other, more attractive destinations, and we may go hungry because there are not enough jobs here.”
In response to these comments, activists are calling on locals to occupy the beaches on Saturday.
>< p>Under the hashtag “OcupemLesNostresPlatges” (Catalan for “Let’s Occupy Our Beaches”), a campaign group called Mallorca Platja Tour (Mallorca Beach Tour) wrote on social media: “We invite all residents near the beaches to swim, restore our beaches. and enjoy them as before. Beaches for everyone!”
One of the supporters proposed holding a protest on S'Arenal beach near Palma. “Come to S'Arenal and don't leave an inch for giris,” he said, using a local derogatory word for foreign visitors.
Another local wrote: “Let's fill the beaches!”
p>Saturday's protest is intended as a warm-up for a larger demonstration on June 16, with activists saying they intend to «fill the beach with Mallorcans.»
Around 10,000 islanders marched through the streets of Palma, Mallorca's capital, last weekend. Source: MJS/SOLARPIX.COM
In response to growing concerns about the impact of mass tourism, Palma's city council was due to discuss on Thursday a series of new measures proposed by Mayor Jaime Martinez to try to tackle the problem.
These include limiting the number of cruise ships allowed allowed to dock in Palma, banning the largest cruise ships, imposing new taxes on cruise ship passengers when they disembark, limiting the number of rental cars that can enter the city at one time, and limiting or banning party boats and booze cruises.
During a protest in Palma last weekend, some participants booed tourists as they drank and ate in bars and restaurants.
They held signs, one of which read: «Salvem Mallorca, guiris arruix» — in Catalan “Let's Save Mallorca, foreigners away.” Another message: “Enough with mass tourism.”
The next protest on Saturday is intended as a warm-up for a larger event. Demonstration on June 16. Photo: MJS/SOLARPIX.COM
Javier Barbero, one of the organizers, told local media: “This is just the beginning. If action is not taken, we will continue to take to the streets until we see action.”
Similar protests took place in Ibiza and Menorca, the other two Balearic islands. More than 14 million people visited the archipelago last year.
Tourism accounts for about 45 percent of the islands' GDP, according to industry body Exceltur.
The protests in the Balearic Islands followed similar demonstrations in the Canary Islands in April.
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