Canary Islands protest LIVE: Holiday hotspot braced for anti-tourist demonstrations

52 mins ago14:31 Oli Smith

55 mins ago14:28 Oli Smith

One protester used her placard to address 'European colonisers' (Image: Zak Garner-Purkis)

A protester demanding sustainable tourism (Image: Zak Garner-Purkis)

2 hours ago13:48 Oli Smith

Anti-tourism campaigners in in Palma, Majorca are warning that "this is just the beginning" and that more demonstrations will be held in the future.

Margalida Ramis of the environmentalist group GOB, a key part of the Less Tourism More Life campaign group, said: "The truth is that we no longer need to campaign to raise people's awareness, but rather to take immediate and long-term measures.

"We have zero confidence in the roundtable for the pact as we can already see in which way it is heading."

She added that government measures to ease pressure on holiday hotspots in Spain "will be very far from what we are proposing."

2 hours ago13:29 Zak Garner-Purkis

The Canary Island protests against overtourism and its impact on the islands spread beyond the islands themselves.

Footage shared with the Express.co.uk shows smaller protests organised by Tenerife expats in Valencia and the Spanish capital, Madrid. 

Crowds gather in Madrid and Valencia over tourism protest

2 hours ago13:27 Oli Smith

Canary Islands protest: Residents in Tenerife voice their concerns

2 hours ago13:25 Oli Smith

Some slogans spotted among the protesters this afternoon include: 

'We are strangers in our own land'

'It is not tourism, it is colonialism'

'The Canary Islands are not for sale'

2 hours ago13:21 Oli Smith

Protester at today's rally in Tenerife (Image: Zak Garner-Purkis)

Hundreds of protesters on the streets in Tenerife (Image: Zak Garner-Purkis)

3 hours ago12:47 Oli Smith

3 hours ago12:11 Oli Smith

The groups organising today's huge demonstration in the Canary Islands held a similarly huge protest in April.

In fact, today marks the six month anniversary since that protest, which saw more than 200,000 protesters take to the streets.

The protest organisers have complained that “the situation  has worsened” since April, creating the need for a new demonstration.

Anger among residents is aimed at skyrocketing property prices and inadequate jobs for locals.

More than 200,000 attended the protests in April (Image: Getty)

3 hours ago12:01 Zak Garner-Purkis

The destination for the Tenerife protest is Playa de las Americas, a popular hotspot for British tourists

It is well known as a spot for drunken stag do parties, drug dealers and sleaze.

You can read more about the area in an Express.co.uk investigation here.

4 hours ago11:39 Oli Smith

The protests will take place across several of the Canary Islands, in popular tourist destinations, including:

Tenerife: CC Metropolis, Las Americas

Gran Canaria: Expomeloneras, Maspalomas

Lanzarote: Plaza de Las Naciones, Los Pocillos, Puerto del Carmen

Fuerteventura: Avenida Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Corralejo

La Palma: Calle La Carrilla, Los Llanos de Aridane

El Hierro: Calle Doctor Quintero, Valverde

The organisers have also planned for protests outside the Canary Islands, as they hope to pressure the government to act. These protests will take place in:

Barcelona: Plaza de Colón

Valencia: Plaza del Ayuntamiento

Granada: Plaza Nueva

Madrid: Ópera

Berlin: Neptunbrunnen

The protesters will march under the slogan 'Canary Islands has a limit' (Image: Getty)

4 hours ago11:35 Oli Smith

The protests across the Canary Islands are set to start at 12pm. 

The slogan for the march is 'Canarias tiene un límite' or 'The Canary Islands have a limit'

The protest organisers are expecting the largest crowds to be in Tenerife, with extra police being deployed there to ensure crowd safety.

4 hours ago11:16 Oli Smith

Organisers of both the 20A and 20-O protests say they are not 'anti-tourists' according to the Canarian Weekly.

The leaders of both protest groups argue that they are simply demanding better protection for the environment and more affordable housing for locals - both of which are impacted by the number of tourists arriving on the islands.

A series of demonstrations against overtourism have erupted across Spain this year, as locals become fed up with the strain it places on resources.

4 hours ago11:08 Oli Smith

Ivan Cerdena Molina, a member of the local environmental organisation ATAN, took a leading role in the previous protest. He said the new event will attempt to directly confrontho lidaymakers

Mr Molina told Express.co.uk: “We are going to take loudspeakers, we are going to stop in the bars, [hotel] terraces and tell the people what are our problems.

“We are going to say ‘you are swimming in s***’, you are making our housing prices higher and the industry behind you [is not helping the island].

“I think the atmosphere is peaceful [but] we are going there to demonstrate. We are full of arguments.”

Protesters taking action against overtourism in Malaga (Image: Getty)

4 hours ago11:07 Oli Smith

The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel advisory for Brits travelling to the Canary Islands, as well as Valencia on the Spanish mainland, ahead of the planned protests.

In a statement the Foreign Office warned: "Political gatherings or marches can take place with little or no warning, particularly in cities. While most demonstrations are peaceful, there is a risk of unrest or violence.

"If you’re near areas where demonstrations are taking place, be aware of what is happening around you and move away if there are signs of disorder."