Protesters against mass tourism blocked off access to a number of small beaches in Majorca loved by holidaymakers.
Since April, Spain has been gripped by a series of demonstrations against mass tourism, as local communities vent their anger at the ever-growing numbers of visitors.
Activists say the current tourism model is unsustainable and is damaging the environment, as well as leading to housing shortages for local people.
Rallies have attracted tens of thousands of people and have been held in cities and resorts across the country – particularly in the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.
This weekend, activists from an anti-capitalist group called Caterva launched their own direct action against mass tourism.
Group members closed off access to a number of bays frequented by tourists in Manacor, including Cala Morlanda and Cala Varques.
The activists claimed hotel chains, construction and real estate companies were principally to blame for the current crisis faced by local communities.
While they didn’t blame tourists directly, they argued that they were “part of the machinery and so co-responsible for the situation that we residents suffer”.
Police later allowed public access to the beaches.
The anti-capitalist group had already taken direct action against tourists this year.
In July, members placed symbolic fines of up to €300 (£254) on the windscreens of hire cars parked near Cala Varques.
The fines were for “contributing to the destruction of Majorca and condemning a million residents to live precariously due to the tourist monoculture”, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
The group also launched a campaign to scare away tourists from beaches in the locality last August.
Activists put up posters written in English at beaches in Manacor, warning people of “the presence” of “dangerous jellyfish” in the water.
Majorca remains one of the most popular destinations for holiday makers in Europe, with numbers of visitors hitting record levels in recent years.
In 2023, the total number of tourists increased by a staggering 1.3 million to 17.8 million. It is not inconceivable that visitor numbers could even reach 20 million this year.