Holidaymakers look on as anti-tourism protesters march across the Canary Islands

Thousands of anti-tourism protesters marched crossed the Canary Islands today arsenic sunbathing holidaying looked on.

In Tenerife, marchers diverted from their expected way and walked crossed the soil astatine Troya Beach, 1 of the astir fashionable successful Las Americas, successful the southbound of the island.

They yelled ‘Canarias No Se Vende’ which translates arsenic ‘The Canary Islands Are Not For Sale,’ bushed connected drums, blew whistles and waved Canary Island flags, portion tourists, including Brits, sunned themselves nearby.

Protesters were besides heard shouting ‘No hay camas pa’ tanto guiri’ – which translates to ‘There’s not capable beds for truthful galore foreigners.’

One carried a placard that read: ‘Enjoying a time astatine your pool? That h2o could beryllium going connected food’ portion different had a committee that said: ‘The Canaries person a limit. More trees, little hotels.’

Initial reports pointed to 2,000 radical joining the Tenerife march, acold little than the fig successful April erstwhile the past anti-mass tourism protests took spot successful the Tenerife superior Santa Cruz.

But protester and expat technologist Brian Harrison, who primitively hails from Bridgend successful Wales but moved to Tenerife successful 1991, insisted the crook retired was bigger saying: ‘You tin adhd a zero to that.’

Other anti-tourism marches besides took spot connected Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, El Hierro, and La Palma.

In Gran Canaria, protesters deed the streets successful Maspalomas, successful the southbound of the island, wherever astir of the hotels British tourists enactment astatine are based.

‘Several thousand’ radical turned up to vent their choler astatine politicians for failing to tackle the problems run groups subordinate with excessively galore tourists, including affordable lodging and biology problems

Some walked down a ample banner which said successful Spanish: ‘We’re foreigners successful our ain land.’

Tourists watched connected from edifice rooftops arsenic the protestors walked past them, with reports a tiny fistful of locals had taken the accidental to instrumentality their mediate fingers up astatine holidaymakers who successful absorption sarcastically blew kisses backmost astatine them.

One protestor was filmed being enactment into handcuffs arsenic onlookers taking portion successful the march shouted astatine officers, though it was not instantly wide wherefore the apprehension had taken place.

The edifice of Puerto del Carmen, which is fashionable with some Brits and Irish tourists, was picked arsenic the centre signifier for Lanzarote’s protest.

But a section insubstantial described the turnout arsenic being ‘disappointing’, saying: ‘It hasn’t aroused the aforesaid involvement arsenic the 1 held connected April 20.’

Before the protests got nether way, organisers said their determination and land governors had been blameworthy of ‘complete inaction’ since the demonstrations six months ago.

They said the fig of tourists the islands attract, 16 cardinal past year, with 17 cardinal expected to sojourn the portion this year, is unsustainable.

Their demands see the instauration of a tourer tax, the paralysation of 2 macro edifice projects successful Tenerife they accidental are amerciable and limits connected the acquisition of spot by non-residents.

Meanwhile, 1 of the speakers astatine a rally held astatine the extremity of the Tenerife march said: ‘We request little prosecute car, improvements successful nationalist transport and we request to halt being truthful galore radical per quadrate kilometre.

‘Each caller play course, each caller edifice and each onslaught connected our situation volition mean that determination volition beryllium much radical who volition articulation the combat and crook the symptom that it causes america into the substance that drives america to proceed this battle.’

Ahead of today’s marches Mr Harrison, who is actively progressive successful biology campaigning had said: ‘We’re taking our protestation to the vacation heartlands this clip circular and not the land capitals to amended visitors to the information there’s superior problems here, but besides due to the fact that it poses the biggest nightmare to our governmental leaders that anti mass-tourism demos are going connected successful tourer areas.

‘These politicians spell to tourism commercialized shows astir Europe promoting the islands arsenic a paradise and the past happening they privation is thing similar this.

‘It was a large determination to bash this due to the fact that nary of the 70 groups that made up the 20A question down these caller protests is against tourism oregon accidental determination should beryllium nary tourism but it had to beryllium taken due to the fact that nothing’s changed since the past ones.

‘If thing things person gone backwards with caller tourism projects being approved and enactment connected hotels we’ve flagged up arsenic amerciable carrying connected and the developers being fixed much rights.

‘Sunday’s protests are going to beryllium noticed by British and Irish tourists holidaying successful the Canaries due to the fact that we’re taking our combat to them and privation to amusement them the Canary Islands are not the paradise they’ve been sold and determination are consequences of them being present successful the quantities they are.’

Half a twelve activists went connected hunger onslaught extracurricular a religion successful the bluish Tenerife municipality of La Laguna up of the past wide anti-tourism protests earlier this year.

It began connected April 11 and was called disconnected aft 20 days.

Earlier this twelvemonth it was announced holidaymakers visiting Tenerife volition person to wage a caller eco tax erstwhile visiting celebrated quality spots connected the land from adjacent year.

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