Lanzarote protestors say “We won’t stop”

Today’s protest against Canarian mass tourism policies was as lively, peaceful and well-attended as the first protest in April 2024.

Thousands of islanders attended the march along Arrecife’s sea front, which was accompanied by the sound of whistles, air-horns and the unmistakeable honking of the conches that the islands’ original natives once used to raise the alarm. Passengers from the P&O cruiser that had docked in Arrecife looked on in interest, but there was absolutely no hostility shown towards tourists.

Instead, protest was directed against local institutions such as the Cabildo and the Canarian Government. The protestors chanted “Canaries is not for sale, we love them and defend them”, “This isn’t tourist phobia, this is self-defence”, “Water for our potatoes, not the swimming pools; and waved placards protesting against the lack of affordable housing, the increasing amount of holiday rentals and pollution.