Noisy anti-tourism protesters who stormed a beach packed with British holidaymakers sparked anger over their actions.
Flag-waving local residents beat drums and blew whistles as they wandered among sunbathers along the shoreline in Playa de las Americas, Tenerife on Sunday.
One carried a poster which read: “Tourists, go f***ing home.”
Another placard stated: “The Canaries have a limit. More trees, less hotels”, blaming the influx of visitors for their creaking public services.
Bemused foreigners were circled by demonstrators yelling: “This beach is ours” and a banner appeared to say “jediondos”, Spanish slang for a smelly person.
But Canary islander Veronica Quintero told reporters of the Tenerife beach revolt: “What they did was a d***head thing to do.
“We have to fight for quality tourism but not against those who come here.
“We shouldn’t f*** the tourist who is on the beach because they have paid for an offer.”
The rally is the most recent of the anti-tourism protests that have swept throughout Spain.
Tourists on other islands including Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma and El Hierro also saw noisy protests involving up to 8,000 people at beaches and shopping centres on Sunday.
On April 12, activists in Tenerife started a hunger strike and hundreds linked arms to form a human chain to demand the local government tackle the effects of excess tourism in the region.
There were similar protests in Ibiza and Majorca in May.
Canary Islands Have A Limit, a newly formed anti-tourist group, said in a statement: “We will go to the tourist areas because that is where the injustice we are denouncing is taking place and because that is where we want to confront the system that is destroying our islands.”
Activist Daniel Cabrera added: “One of the reasons people went onto the beach is because it’s one of the most polluted and it’s right next to all the hotels and businesses in the area.
“We want tourism. What we do not want is over-exploitation and garbage tourism that does not benefit the local economy.
“Seventy-five per cent of the money from island hotels and other businesses ends up outside of Spain and that can't be tolerated.”
One British tourist told ITV News he understood their issues even though sunseekers were shocked to be surrounded by people with placards.
He said: “Some people are coming here and they are not respecting the culture.
“They are not respecting the locals. They are not respecting the island. And those other people who are coming here and they are respecting the culture and respecting the island.
“So I would say Tenerife relies on tourism, you know, but it doesn’t mean that anybody can come and abuse this island, you know.”
A Scottish tourist added: “On behalf [of my country], I do apologise, but what a beautiful place. We come here, and we are respectful to the island.”
