MALLORCA – The residents of Manacor on the east coast of the island of Mallorca have had enough of the “tourism overpopulation” that plagues the island. Consequently, some, such as the members of the Manacor Caterva association, have taken action.
Signs have appeared in several bays in the area in recent days with texts warning of certain dangers in English. Then the same sign specifies in Catalan that access to the beach and swimming are completely safe for residents.
La usurpació de les cales és només una expressió més de com el capitalisme utilitza una activitat econòmica com el turisme, duta a l’extrem, per assecar gratuïtament el territori i per extreure el màxim de plusvàlua dels treballadors. pic.twitter.com/cxWdvg1rjh
— Caterva (@Caterva_mnc) August 11, 2023
Warning signs
The signs contain warnings in English ranging from polluted water and the risk of falling rocks to the presence of jellyfish or simply stating that the beach is closed. The same signs read, in smaller print, “Platja oberta”, Catalan for “beach open”, and a short explanation that the sign is addressed to the “guiris”, a term that in Spain refers to foreign tourists.
Also see: Again a fuss in Santiago because of a misbehaving pilgrim
The signs are posted on the following beaches;
- Cala Morlanda
- Cala Petita
- Porto Cristo
- Cala Murta
- Cala Magraner
- Cala Bota
‘With a sense of humour
On X, formerly Twitter, the association Caterva posts some photos of the signs and the following text: “These days we have carried out an indictment action against the #tourist overpopulation in the #Manacor coves. With a little sense of humour, we put up a few posters which you can see in the pictures. From Cala Morlanda to Cala Bota.
Underneath this addition: “The usurpation [unlawful taking] of the bays is just another expression of how capitalism uses an economic activity such as tourism to the extreme to drain the territory for free and extract the maximum surplus value from the workers. to fetch.”
The association goes further and speaks of the culprits such as the “hoteliers or the Rafael Nadals with the total complicity of some municipalities and the government of the Balearic Islands, the current and the previous”. Caterva also offers its posters on social networks for printing “in good quality” and “continue the fight in other places”. “You just have to ask us and we’ll pass them on to you.” And indeed, followers who support the campaign indicate they want posters to be placed in other places on the island.
The danger is not a landslide, but tourism overpopulation
For example, English-speaking swimmers at Cala Murta are warned with a sign for a falling rock. Then on the same sign, residents are invited to pass in Catalan: “Come on, the danger is not a landslide, but overcrowding.”
Related: Residents: “Barcelona is a theme park with us as extras”