EXPATS and locals alike have been left stunned after a mysterious poet launched a bizarre campaign demanding that foreigners leave the Malaga town of Ronda.
A phantom joker calling himself the ‘Son of Cervantes’ has started hanging 17th-century style poems on statues around the town.
The strange campaign coincides with the annual ‘Carnaval’ celebrations, a time when Andalucia traditionally mocks the rich and powerful.
However, this anonymous satirist has taken a more reactionary turn, targeting the international community and modern women.
His first manifesto was discovered hanging around the neck of the Blas Infante statue on Friday morning, Feb 13.
In the tortuous, rhyming poetry, he complains that the beautiful historic city has been turned into an open car park.
He openly pines for the Spain of seventy years ago, suggesting women should return to wearing ‘mantillas‘ and remember their place in society.
The poem then finishes with the highly controversial demand: “Foreigners out!”
Locals have noted the use of the derogatory slang term ‘guiri‘ in his written attacks.
The bizarre stunt is heavily inspired by the ancient ‘talking statues’ of Rome, where citizens would hang satirical poems ridiculing tyrannical popes.
The ‘Son of Cervantes’ has promised to use six different statues across Ronda throughout 2026 to spread his archaic message.
His identity remains a complete mystery, though his ability to write coherent poetry using complex 1600s rhythm and rhyme schemes suggests he is highly educated and locally born.
The self-styled modern outlaw claims he is careful to wear gloves to ensure he leaves no fingerprints behind as the mystery deepens.
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