Holidaymakers in Barcelona found themselves caught in the crossfire of an unusual protest on Saturday, as demonstrators armed with water pistols targeted diners in the city’s popular Las Ramblas district.
The wet and wild scenes were part of a larger rally against mass tourism, which saw around 2,800 people take to the streets under the banner “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism.”
The protestors are calling for a reduction in the number of foreigners visiting the Catalan city under a sustainable model.
Water pistols were aimed and fired at foreigners eating outdoors at popular tourist restaurants in the Las Ramblas district, MailOnline reported.
Several Catalans were shown firing although the guns did not appear capable of shooting a powerful stream.
The protests follow similar scenes in the Canary Islands earlier this year.
Many in Spain are up in arms about the rising cost in housing - Barcelona rents increasing 68 per cent in the past decade and 18 per cent in the past year.
Costs for groceries and essentials have also been on the rise.
For years the city has seen graffiti with messages such as “tourists go home” daubed on the walls with some adding that expats should also be given the boot.
Barcelona resident Isa Miralles said: “Local shops are closing to make way for stores that do not serve the needs of neighbourhoods. People cannot afford their rents.”
Jordi Guiu, a 70-year-old sociologist, added: “I have nothing against tourism, but here in Barcelona we are suffering from an excess of tourism that has made our city unliveable.”
Barcelona's mayor Jaume Collboni has already announced a plan to phase out all short-term lets by 2028.
Spain's Socialist housing minister, Isabel Rodriguez, said she supported Barcelona's decision.
"It's about making all the necessary efforts to guarantee access to affordable housing," she tweeted.
