Radical youth protesters in Majorca have sparked a police investigation after launching an anti-tourism graffiti spree and burning photos of prominent hoteliers and politicians. Spanish Police are investigating the radical youth group Arran, who were allegedly behind graffiti on the Balearic tourism ministry building in Palma and a video showing photos of local officials being burned.
The video also included a call for confrontation over the perceived problems caused by overtourism, including a strain on local infrastructure and the housing market. Similarly, the graffiti laid bare the demonstrators’ stance on the growing number of international visitors to the island destination. “We young people are not proud that our island has been sold out,” it read. “We are fed up and ready to confront … those responsible for our misery.”
The graffiti was removed by municipal services agency Emaya, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports, and a government complaint about the video, which saw protesters burn images of hoteliers including Gabriel Escarrer of the Meliá group and politicians such as Balearic President Marga Prohens, was filed with the police on the grounds of incitement to hatred.
Tourism minister Jaume Bauzà said: “The government will always respect criticism and complaints from any sector, but will never tolerate such serious acts of vandalism that, in addition to damaging our common heritage, send a deeply unjust message against tourism.”
The government agency said security camera footage of the graffiti being sprayed was being examined by officials, with several people suspected of being involved in the vandalism.
Alongside a video of the photos being burned posted to X, a spokesperson for Arran Majorca said: “We demand change, we demand degrowth!
“Young people see ourselves pushed into misery while hoteliers get rich thanks to the political class. We’re fed up with our land being commodified, while the working class is always the biggest loser.”
Majorca and the other Balearic Islands are among the most popular holiday destinations for international travellers in the Mediterranean, with over 2.3 million Brits visiting the island alone every year.
Hoteliers announced a new pro-tourism campaign last weekend, shortly after the video’s release, to combat the impact of growing opposition to tourists on the archipelago’s hospitality sector.