Spanish Activists Questioned Over Controversial Anti-Tourism T-Shirts

Spanish police have questioned four activists in Menorca over T-shirts bearing the slogan "Kill a foreign tourist, free up a house," sparking a legal debate over hate speech and mass tourism protests.

The four individuals, members of the Marxist youth organization Arran, were investigated under Article 510 of the Spanish Penal Code, which addresses hate speech and incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence. The investigation began after police spotted the shirts in an Instagram post by Arran Menorca during routine online monitoring.

The controversial slogan appeared in Catalan on the shirts as "M*ta un guiri, allibera una casa," using an asterisk in the word kill. The term "guiri" is commonly used to refer pejoratively to northern European tourists. The activists wore the garments during an assembly held earlier this year at a community center in the Menorcan village of Sant Climent.

Defense attorney Josep de Luis criticized the legal proceedings, arguing that the statute is designed to protect vulnerable groups based on race, religion, gender, or nationality. He maintained that tourists do not constitute a protected category and that the campaign was intended as satirical commentary against overtourism rather than incitement to violence.

Tensions over mass tourism have persisted across Spain for years, affecting regions such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, Barcelona, and Malaga. Critics argue that unregulated tourism drives up housing costs, strains local infrastructure, and causes environmental damage. Activists have previously targeted vacation rentals, blocked scenic paths, and staged protests to demand limits on visitor numbers.