‘Go home’: Chaos at world famous site as anti-tourist protesters unleash in Spain

New video of locals unleashing on tourists visiting one of the world’s most famous sites has emerged, fuelling more tense scenes ahead of the European summer season.

New video of locals unleashing on tourists visiting one of the world’s most famous sites has emerged, fuelling more tense scenes as anger grows across Spain about mass tourism pricing out locals.

Anti-tourism protesters in Barcelona congregated outside the city’s Sagrada Familia Basilica wielding water pistols and shouting “tourists go home” as a bus packed with visitors made its way through the streets.

The video, shared by The Metro, highlighted ongoing tensions in Spain which appear to be heating up again as the ever-popular summer season in Europe draws near.

The activists shot water at a tourist bus.

The anti-tourism activists in Barcelona.

Last summer, Spain erupted with protests — including activists descending on hotspots like the island of Mallorca and the city of Barcelona — chanting “go home” and displaying signs in support of overtourism in the country.

In 2024, Spain received more than 90 million foreign visitors — with locals saying they’ve had enough of foreigners taking over beaches and the mammoth number putting a strain on residents’ daily lives.

In a bid to send a message to the government, which locals say has not done enough to curb the influx of visitors, activists staged hunger strikes, plastered visitor hotspots with anti-tourism messages and even squirted tourists with water guns.

Demonstrators put symbolic cordon on a bar-restaurant window during a protest against mass tourism on Barcelona's Las Ramblas alley in 2024. Picture: Josep LAGO / AFP.

Earlier this month, just ahead of Easter — Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards marched in protests in over 40 cities across the country over high housing costs with no relief in sight, as reported byEuroNews.

Last summer, hundreds of locals blocked tourists from accessing a popular European beach, with activists from the Spanish island of Mallorca wielded banners that read “SOS Residents” and handed out leaflets in English and German to target holiday-makers at Caló des Moro cove.

The protesters physically obstructed pathways and demanded tourists to leave, with one woman yelling “go, go, go”.

Caló des Moro is known for its stunning views and crystal-clear waters, attracting Instagram influencers and tourists.

Protests against mass tourism have multiplied in recent years across Spain, the world's second-most visited country. Picture: Josep LAGO / AFP.

That same season, tourists attempting to enjoy a nice meal in one of the world’s most popular cities — Barcelona — were attacked by locals angered by overtourism.

Footage shared by the BBC in July 2024 showed tourists at a number of different restaurants being hounded by locals.

In the vision, visitors to the city can be seen packing their things and leaving as they are squirted with water pistols by a huge crowd that descended on the most popular tourist areas.

About 2800 locals took part in the protest and marched under the slogan “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism” and held banners proclaiming “Barcelona not for sale” and “Tourists go home”.

Members of the Mallorca Platja Tour association place signs against tourist saturation on the beach of Palma de Mallorca in 2024. Picture: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images.

Thousands of people demonstrated in the Spanish city of Malaga against mass tourism. There are concerns protests this summer season could spill into airports. Picture: JORGE GUERRERO / AFP.

As the European summer season draws near, holiday-makers are being warned that airports could be the new centre for anti-tourism protests.

The Mirror reports that fed up locals in holiday hotspots across Spain, Italy, France and Portugal won’t rule out targeting airports, as mass tourism has fuelled soaring rents and a lack of affordable homes (given short-term accommodation is snapped up for tourist rentals).

One protester in Barcelona, Elena Boschi told the Mirror that they want “tourists to have some level of fear about the situation – without fear there is no change.”

According to reports, in Spain, the average rent has doubled while house prices have skyrocketed by over 44 per cent in the past decade. In addition in that same period, short-term rentals have increased in major cities and coastal destinations — such as Barcelona and Majorca — pushing locals and families out of homes.