A furious hotel worker fought back against a crowd of anti-tourism protesters who tried to seal off his workplace in Barcelona.
On Sunday, thousands took to the streets across Spain in a protest against overtourism, with demonstrators using water pistols on shop windows, releasing colored smoke, and engaging in clashes with the police.
Intense footage captured outside a hotel named Generator shows a distressed employee confronting the protestors, asserting he was ‘only working’, as activists aggressively attempted to seal off the building with tape.
In the clip, the unnamed worker walks out of the hotel and cuts the tape off with a pair of scissors.
However, this provoked a surge of anger among the protestors, who responded by booing and blowing whistles at the employee while rapidly retaping the hotel entrance and forcing him back inside.
In a separate video, the employee is seen shouting at the swarms of protesters, while another recording shows him taking a water pistol off a demonstrator to spray water on them.
MailOnline has approached the hotel for comment.
Authorities in the north eastern Spanish city said around 600 people joined the demonstration over the weekend.
A furious hotel worker fought back against a crowd of anti-tourism protesters who tried to seal off his workplace in Barcelona
Dramatic footage taken from outside a hotel shows an agitated worker as he confronted protesters who squirted him with water guns
The employee is seen firing a water gun at protesters
Barcelona city of 1.6 million, drew 26 million tourists last year.
There were similar demonstrations in other parts of Spain including Ibiza, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastian and Granada.
Thousands marching were heard telling Brits to ‘go home’ as they banged drums and chanted slogans at stunned tourists as they enjoyed their evening meals.
The protests were organised by the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification (SET), and are supported by local activist groups.
Many locals living in tourist hotspots in Spain believe the industry’s model has become too excessive.
They say the numbers of visitors continue to increase year by year, creating an increasing demand on local resources.
They also complain that the overwhelming amount of tourist activity is causing environmental pollution, particularly in Tenerife, where natural landscapes are not being properly protected by local authorities, while a surge in pleasure boats and sewage waste are polluting the marine environment, they claim.
More importantly, the explosion of Airbnb-style properties has seen property prices surge over the past five to 10 years.
In holiday hotspots, landlords are choosing to rent to tourists instead of selling or renting to local families.
The worker was heard telling protesters he was ‘only working’
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Protestors seen firing water pistols at shop windows, setting off coloured smoke and clashing with police in Barcelona on Sunday
This is stripping housing supply and making the available stock far more expensive and out of reach for a growing number of locals.
The protesters marched for over a kilometre before gathering in Plaza de Reina near to the seafront.
A series of activists gave speeches demanding a ‘drastic’ change in laws regarding the tourism industry – including banning Airbnb style properties from the island.
Dozens of officers from the armed National Police force were seen escorting the protesters throughout the march, which ended without incident.
In Ibiza, another popular Spanish island for British holidaymakers, similar protests took place demanding reductions to tourism.
Around 1,000 protesters took part in the march organised by major anti-tourism platform Canviem el Rumb, which has been carrying out demonstrations in the Spanish holiday hotspot over the last year.
Security was stepped up to protect tourists from the demonstrators, who left Portal de Ses Taules in the town centre at around 6pm and ended at Plaza de sa Graduada, in front of the courts at 9pm.
Tourists watch in Mallorca as demonstrators hold a banner reading ‘For the right to a decent life’
Demonstrators hold a cardboard cruise boat during the protest in Palma de Mallorca
Activists have claimed more than 30,000 people attended the protest today
A woman holds up a placard reading: ‘tourists go home… refugees welcome’
Protesters were heard chanting slogans against Airbnb and ‘guiris’ – the Spanish slang term used to describe Brits and other foreigners
Tourists continue with their meals and drinks as the anti tourism protesters go by in the Old Town in Ibiza on Sunday evening
Protesters hold a banner reading ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ during a demonstration to protest against the massification of tourism and housing prices on the island of Mallorca in Palma de Mallorca on May 25, 2024
A man watches on from his balcony as protesters line the streets below
The protests aim to keep pressure on governments to address the problems generated by tourism, including rising rents, housing shortages and environmental damage.
Activists believe the current tourism model is ‘unsustainable’ and pushing the islands toward collapse.
They want to limit the number of tourists visiting the islands, ban new hotel construction and introduce a tougher tourist tax, among other measures.
