Water guns are back squirting at unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona. About a thousand Spaniards marched to demand a rethink of an economic model they believe is fueling a housing crunch and erasing the character of their city on Sunday.
“The squirt guns are to bother the tourists a bit,” Andreu Martínez said with a chuckle after spritzing a couple seated at an outdoor cafe. “Barcelona has been handed to the tourists. This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents.”
Martínez says his rent has risen over 30% as more apartments in his neighborhood are rented to tourists for short-term stays. He said there is a knock-on effect of traditional stores being replaced by businesses catering to tourists, like souvenir shops, burger joints and “bubble tea” spots.
“Our lives, as lifelong residents of Barcelona, is coming to an end,” he said. “We are being pushed out systematically.”
They have a point. People may dismiss this as “xenophobia” but I see it more as a matter of class divisions where rich tourists are prioritised over lower class residents.
Yeah, there’s a blurry line between hatred against foreigners and fighting back against displacement, and it’s vaguely parallel to the line between immigrants trying to integrate and invaders trying to overtake.
The tourists may have no malicious intent, so things aren’t quite as straightforward, but if the end result is that they’re contributing to a destructive trend, non-violently bringing attention to that is the best response I could think of.
They have a point. People may dismiss this as “xenophobia” but I see it more as a matter of class divisions where rich tourists are prioritised over lower class residents.
Yeah, there’s a blurry line between hatred against foreigners and fighting back against displacement, and it’s vaguely parallel to the line between immigrants trying to integrate and invaders trying to overtake.
The tourists may have no malicious intent, so things aren’t quite as straightforward, but if the end result is that they’re contributing to a destructive trend, non-violently bringing attention to that is the best response I could think of.