Mastermind of furious anti-tourist protests in Majorca targeting Brits unmasked as boy, 16, inspired by Greta Thunberg
THE mastermind behind anti-tourist protests in Majorca targeting Brits has been unmasked as a 16-year-old boy inspired by Greta Thunberg.
Mass anti-tourism demonstrators began to erupt across Spain last year, amid concerns holidaymakers were driving rising costs and job insecurity.
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Jaume Pujol is slowly becoming the fresh face of the anti-tourist movement
Credit: Twitter
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Jaume staged a protest impacting tourists on a bus last week
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He said he is inspired by Greta Thunberg
Credit: EPA
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One protester seen wielding an axe in Palma last weekend
Credit: Solarpix
Using Greta Thungburg as his inspiration, he confessed, Jaume Pujol is slowly becoming the fresh face of the movement - despite only just finishing the Spanish equivalent of GCSEs.
Last weekend, anti-tourist protests swept across holiday hotspot towns and cities from the Balearic and Canary Islands to northern Spain, Portugal and Italy.
They were organised and executed by the Southern European Network Against Tourism.
In Palma on Sunday afternoon, anti-tourist demonstrators swarmed a table of dining Brits and chanted "go home" and "go to hell".
One protester was even caught wielding an axe amid the deafening jeers.
Jaume was in Palma on this day, being an organiser of the Majorcan group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida.
Last Saturday he gave a live YouTube commentary as he and his fellow protesters stopped a sightseeing bus, hung banners over it and set off yellow smoke-bombs as terrified passengers watched on in horror.
And on Sunday, Jaume stood on a platform to read out the group's three-page "manifesto".
He said as thousands of supporters cheered: "The tourism model, whether luxury or mass, chokes us year after year, grabs economic and residential resources, destroys the territory, exploits the working class, contributes to climate crisis, and shatters our communities."
He added how young people couldn't afford to live on their own island anymore due to foreigners buying properties.
Anti-tourist protesters blast holidaymakers with water guns & block hotels
Jaume's interest in protesting began at a young age when his trade unionist granddad took him on marches.
And while his parents are "proud," Jaume revealed to Diario de Mallorca how they're also scared for him.
He said: "I've received death threats, and they painted 'We're going to kill you' on the door of my school."
As tourists continue to fear of chaos unravelling on their holidays with protests, Jaume told the Daily Mail that they have nothing to fear as he and his comrades' actions are directed towards the Balearic Islands' government.
The march in Palma followed a similar string of incidents in Barcelona, where an anti-tourist mob surrounded a hotel and shot at holidaymakers with water pistols.
Congregating outside the hotel, the group launched flares and held placards claiming tourism was robbing them of their futures.
Staff at a nearby hotel were seen trying to break up the crowds and shouting at protesters to move away.
Police stepped in before protesters could reach the famous tourist hot-spot la Sagrada Familia, avoiding potential clashes between holidaymakers and locals.
Shouts of 'Tourists Go Home' and 'One More Tourist, One Less Local' could be heard as activists marched through the streets.
They were also heard shouting: 'This tourism is terrorism.'
City police said only 600 people had taken part, far less than the 8,000 who took part in the protest in Palma.
Other marches took place in the Basque city of San Sebastian, several cities in Italy and in Lisbon as part of a co-ordinated series of street protests in southern Europe.
What is overtourism?
Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where a destination experiences a volume of tourists that exceeds its manageable capacity
The term is often used to describe the negative consequences of mass tourism, which includes overcrowding and environmental issues
As a result, popular destinations have become less enjoyable for both visitors and locals
Local communities, in particular, bear the brunt, facing rising costs and a depletion of resources
In response, national and local governments have started to implement measures to reduce overtourism
Some solutions include: Safeguarding historical and heritage sites
Promoting off-peak travel
Tourism caps and regulations
Promoting lesser-known destinations
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Tourists enjoying a meal in the town centre were struck with loud chants
Credit: Reuters
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Demonstrators used water pistols during a protest against mass tourism in Barcelona
Credit: Reuters
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