Just a few weeks after the last demonstration, on the eve of the start of the British summer holidays, the demonstration Canviem El Rumb: posem límits al turisme, (Change course: limit tourism) took place on July 21, with more than 10,000 people taking part.
Its message was clear: “It’s time to take to the streets, get organised and stand up for real change, to stop the impacts of the current tourism and economic model. We want a change of course to guarantee the rights of all people and the respect and protection of natural spaces, of our land and our villages.”
The anti-mass tourism movement has now taken to social media to ask people to keep August 11 free, ready for the next protest – right in the middle of the summer holidays, on one of August’s busiest weekends, which threatens to cause chaos with Brits’ summer holiday plans on the beautiful holiday island.
Indeed, Gatwick Airport has said the busiest day for passengers is expected to be August 11, with Palma de Majorca one of its top three short-haul destinations this summer alongside Malaga and Barcelona.
The organisers said that they want the demonstration to be “a turning point, a statement, and the start of actions and mobilisations” not just in Majorca, but all four of the Balearic Islands, which “will extend beyond the summer”.
The organisers of the demonstrations have warned that they will continue to take to the streets until the Balearic government takes action and adopts measures against the housing crisis and tourist overcrowding.
“This has only just begun”, assured Javier Barbero, one of the organisers of the demonstration, adding that he was confident that such demonstrations have helped the government take “immediate measures” to stop the property collapse.
He mentioned the declaring of the Balearics as a housing hot spot was a matter of urgency and that state law should be applied.
“If the reality is denied and still no measures are taken, we will take to the streets until they act,” he said.
What the new protest will target has yet to be announced and the number of expected participants this time around is unknown.