Yzabelle Bostyn
AS Spain gears up for a fresh wave of anti-tourism protests, violent graffiti has appeared in tourism hotspots.
On April 5, Spanish cities will erupt with protests against the growing housing crisis under the battle cry ‘let’s end the housing business.’
Locals frustrated with rising housing prices exacerbated by tourist flats, Airbnbs and hotels will take to the streets to call for stricter controls on holiday accommodation.
“Everything in recent decades has been done to turn the centre of Malaga into a tourist attraction park that only benefits a few, while expelling its neighbours,” said Kike España, spokesperson for the Malaga protest.
In the lead up to the demonstrations, anti-tourism graffiti has appeared in many popular spots such as Valencia.
Last week, a poster reading ‘die guiri! thanks’ was spotted near the city’s cathedral.
The original image by @nikitadekota shows a woman with a backpack and sunglasses fanning herself as sweat drips from her face. Underneath, the caption reads ‘what’s up guiri?’.
However, someone scrawled the threatening message over the poster, urging tourists to ‘die’.
Clearly a hot topic in the city, another anonymous scribbler then crossed out the message and branded it ‘bad’.
Tensions remain high in Valencia after devastating floods battered the Costa Blanca last year.
Graffiti demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazon can be spotted throughout the city centre alongside anti-tourism messages.
