Majorcans who came together on the weekend to “occupy” a local beach have lamented the “totally intimidating” behaviour of the police.
The Mallorca Platja Tour organisation called on local people to head to Caló del Moro, a popular 29-metre scenic cove in southern Majorca, on June 16 in order to voice their frustration at the current tourism model on the Balearic island.
The gathering, which the organisation said “was not a demonstration”, was hugely successful and peaceful, with some 300 Majorcans reaching the beach by 10am and taking part in a series of light-hearted activities, including folk dance.
Some of the residents, however, also reportedly voiced their frustration at overtourism by carrying banners and shouting: “Tourists go home.”
Eventually, officers that are part of the Guardia Civil and the local police force intervened and broke up the event.
The officers, Mallorca Platja Tour claimed in a statement, asked for the IDs of some of the attendees.
This move prompted the outrage of the organisation, which said it didn’t understand how a “peaceful and civic meeting for elementary rights is curtailed by the security forces”.
Speaking more about the banners erected by some locals during the gathering, the statement read: “At Caló des Moro, it was not a demonstration, but a meeting on a beach by Majorcans with the aim of raising awareness of a problem that affects us all.
“The two banners and the words that people kept saying are part of our right to express ourselves.”
The organisation went on to claim that during their gathering, they had approached tourists on the beach and politely explained to them what was going on, adding they had no issue with the holidaymakers.
Following the intervention of the Guardia Civil, the event eventually came to an end, but Mallorca Platja Tour celebrated the success on X following the huge attendance.
It wrote: “We have recovered Caló des Moro. It has been magical. We call for ‘recovering’ each and every one of Mallorca’s beaches.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the Guardia Civil for comment.
This gathering came a few weeks after thousands marched in Majorca against the “massification of tourism” – echoing protests already held in Ibiza and Tenerife.