In Barcelona, a seemingly amusing scene unfolded when a woman playfully aimed a basic plastic water gun at a group of unsuspecting tourists seated at an outdoor café. This squirt-squirt toy has become a unique yet growing emblem at anti-tourism demonstrations across Spain. Residents worry that their communities are being overrun by an influx of visitors, disrupting local life.
The transformation of this simple toy into a tool of protest began last July. It was during an event hosted by a minor leftist activist group in Barcelona committed to the “degrowth” of the city’s booming tourism industry. Originally, the water guns were used to stay cool amidst the scorching summer heat. However, Adriana Coten, an organizer with the Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, recounted that what followed was unexpectedly explosive media attention after some protestors decided to turn their water guns from each other to the tourists. This symbolic act quickly went viral.
The water gun took center stage again in April, when activists halted a tourist bus in Barcelona. Then, on a Sunday, close to a thousand demonstrators gathered along a luxurious boulevard favored by wealthy visitors before being intercepted by law enforcement en route to the famed La Sagrada Familia. Shouting slogans and brandishing signs that included lines like “One more tourist, one less resident,” they spritzed tourists encountered on their path. The protest left behind a trail of stickers on various city structures, bearing a vivid image of a water gun and a bold message: “Tourist Go Home!”
Despite the striking imagery, only a small faction of activists actually wielded water guns. Among those, many chose to target the sky or fellow protestors rather than tourists. One particular protestor, a father, participated with his baby secured in a front-pack and a water gun at the ready.
Beyond these demonstrations, everyday citizens of Barcelona are not engaging in squirt gun activities against visitors. In truth, a significant portion of the city’s residents continues to support the tourism sector, recognizing it as a cornerstone of the local economy.
The effectiveness of using water guns as a tool for inciting change is up for debate. Some protestors, like Lourdes Sánchez accompanied by her teenage daughter, described the guns as symbolic, expressing dissatisfaction with the city’s transformation into a virtual theme park. Another protestor, Andreu Martínez, admitted the aim was simply to “bother the tourists a bit.”
Laurens Schocher, a local architect, opted to carry but not use a water gun, hoping simply to draw greater attention to the protestors’ cause. “I don’t think the tourists will get it,” Schocher conceded, “but it’s about sending a message to the authorities.”
Events were largely congenial as protestors carried the simple, inexpensive water toys known for shooting short streams. For some tourists, the spritzing was a welcome cool-off under the blazing sun, with temperatures soaring to 30 degrees Celsius (87 Fahrenheit). However, the mood occasionally soured, such as when hostel employees were targeted, prompting one individual to react angrily by spitting and slamming a door.
Taiwanese visitor Nora Tsai, who was unexpectedly spritzed, felt a mix of apprehension and disheartenment amidst the ordeal, further unsettled by the recurrent “Tourist go home!” chants. Despite the chilling words, she relayed her lingering fondness for the city, expressing gratitude for the many kind people she encountered in Barcelona.