According to local media, residents of the Spanish island of Mallorca have reportedly vandalized vehicles and businesses belonging to German expatriates over the weekend. The latest wave of vandalism occurred in the midst off increasing local residents’ frustration with mass tourism throughout Spain and a worsening housing crisis that has led to soaring rents and skyrocketing property prices.
Over the weekend, nearly 30 shops and several cars displaying foreign license plates were defaced in the Spanish town of Santanyi on Mallorca, with stickers and slogans reading “Germans out” and “foreign buyers go to hell.”
Santanyi, a resort city with a population of approximately 12,800 located on the southeast coast of Mallorca, is a popular destination for German expatriates, many of whom possess residences or operate businesses in the area.
Local law enforcement officials confirmed the attacks and announced that an investigation had been launched to identify the offenders.
The latest attacks on foreign tourists and expats come in the wake of increasing anti-tourist feelings throughout Mallorca, where residents claim that mass tourism is displacing them and undermining the island’s identity.
In June, thousands of local residents gathered in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, carrying signs that read “foreigners go home” and “Mallorca is not your cash cow.” According to media reports, local activists frequently spray tourists with water pistols as a form of symbolic protest.
The anti-tourism protests in Mallorca are part of a larger movement throughout southern Europe. In mid-June, synchronized demonstrations took place in Barcelona, Granada, Venice, and Lisbon, where activists expressed similar concerns regarding escalating rents, overtourism, and displacement.
Mallorca protesters attribute the ongoing housing crisis in Spain to the prevalence of mass short-term rentals like Airbnb and rampant property speculation. Real estate agents have voiced similar concerns. In an open letter, the two largest real estate associations in Mallorca cautioned that sufficient housing is becoming a luxury not only for locals but also for seasonal workers and tourists.
In May, Palma’s Mayor Jaime Martinez unveiled a €300 billion ($353 billion) initiative aimed at protecting Mallorca beaches, prohibiting the construction of new tourist hotels, and mandating the renovation or conversion of existing hotels into residential apartments.
According to the reports, local authorities also intend to cut by 20% the number of the existing sun loungers from Mallorca’s beaches to provide additional space for residents.
