An anti-capitalist group in Spain placed fake warning signs on beaches to keep tourists away

17.08.2023 - 18:39 / insider.com / Rafael Nadal

An anti-capitalist group in Spain has been placing fake signs on beaches in order to keep tourists away, The Sun reported on Wednesday. 

The signs were placed on beaches in Mallorca, one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, by the anti-capitalist group Manacor Caterva, which campaigns against overtourism, according to The Independent. The group is active on social media and uses the handle @Caterva. 

Mallorca is a popular vacation spot for Europeans, with 3.9 million German people and 2.1 million British people visiting the island in 2022, according to data published by Statista. The island also had just under 1.8 million visitors from other Spanish regions in the same year, according to the data.

Two of the signs, warning of jellyfish and falling rocks, were shared on social media by Barcelona-based radio network Versió RAC1, which had over 92,500 followers on Thursday. 

 "Beware of dangerous jellyfish," one of the signs reads in English. 

Below the English writing, there is small print written in Catalan which translates to: "Open beach. Not to jellyfish nor foreigners," according to The Sun and The Independent.

Another sign, which was placed in Cala Murta beach in Mallorca, states in English: "Caution falling rocks," according to one of the photos shared online.

Again, the small print in Catalan appears to say the opposite is true, stating that the danger is "overcrowding," according to The Sun and The Independent.

Another sign shared by The Sun states that the beach is a two-hour and 53-minute walk away, when in reality it is only 100 yards away in distance, according to the publication.

The Sun added that the group previously condemned Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, who owns a restaurant and tourist business in Mallorca. 

"Capitalism uses tourism to the extreme to dry out the territory and extract the maximum surplus value from workers," the statement reads, according to The Sun.

"There are culprits and it is necessary to name them, such as the hoteliers or the Rafael Nadals who are as complicit as the Balearic Government," it continued.

Overtourism and overcrowding have been a concern for Mallorcan residents since the island was first established in the 1950s up to the present day, according to the Mallorcan documentary "Overbooking," which first premiered in 2019, according to Glasgow's Centre For Contemporary Arts (CCA).

The documentary also showcases how overtourism presents issues for popular cities all over the world, including Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam, according to the CCA.

Representatives for Manacor Caterva and the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism did not respond to a request for comment. The Majorca police department could not be reached.