Mallorca's 'tourists go home' protest draws 10,000 in Palma
Some 10,000 people in Mallorca's resort city of Palma turned out to a weekend rally held under the banner "Tourists go home!" to show their opposition to mass tourism, police said.
Many carried signs saying, "Let's say basta!" and "Mallorca is not for sale!" at the rally on Saturday evening. Organizers said 25,000 people came to the event, decrying the island's rising number of visitors and holiday flats despite a housing shortage.
All reports described it as historic, and one of the largest demonstrations ever held in Mallorca.
The demonstrators included many families with children, schoolchildren, students and seniors as well as trade unions, environmental groups and other citizen groups.
Tourism is vital for Mallorca, but many say only a minority benefit, and that the vast majority working in the sector struggle with low-paid jobs while struggling with housing shortages, traffic jams, noise and rubbish.
The Balearic Islands have a population of nearly 1.2 million. Last year, the number of visitors climbed to almost 18 million, with 14.4 million coming from abroad. The rally was organized after a restaurant collapsed on Thursday, killing four people.
