Protesters rally against events like F1 turning Barcelona into ‘theme park’
About 100 grassroots groups staged the demonstration as cars drove along the city’s most exclusive street
MADRID – Scores of protesters demonstrated against Formula One cars racing through the heart of Barcelona on Wednesday, claiming such events turned the city into “a theme park”.
About 100 grassroots groups staged the protest as the cars drove along the city’s most exclusive street, Passeig de Gracia, on a short track taking in surrounding roads.
The rally comes after protesters clashed with police outside the Louis Vuitton fashion show held last month in Parc Güell, a Unesco World Heritage Site designed by Antoni Gaudi.
A Barcelona resident named Robert posted a picture of Parc Güell on social media platform X and wrote: “Between this and F1 on Passeig de Gracia it is clear that [city mayor] Jaume Collboni wants to turn Barcelona into a theme park.
“And you don’t have to, we already have Madrid for that. How delusional are those who thought that we would do better with Collboni than with [former mayor Ada] Colau.”
Mr Collboni, the Socialist mayor of Barcelona who has held the post for a year, is expected to bring in a more business-friendly administration than that of Ms Colau, a far-left politician who cracked down on tourism.
Cycling clubs, a left-wing political party, sporting groups and the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Barcelona organised the protest “against the privatisation of the public space just to benefit tourism lobbies”.
“Barcelona should no longer be a showcase city and once again become a city for its residents,” Jaume Artigas, from the Eixample district’s neighbourhood association, told i.
Roger Torrent, a Barcelona councillor with responsibility for business, said: “It’s true that these events annoy [some people] but the benefits and the impact that they bring make it worth it.”
The F1 Barcelona Fan Festival, a week-long event leading up to the weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix near the Catalan capital, will see Ferraris and Red Bull cars tear through the streets in the centre of the city.
A fan zone will give Formula One fans the chance to see the cars up close and get a taste of driving them via video simulators.
Casa Battló, another Gaudí-designed building that is popular with tourists, will feature a VIP stand while a children’s track with go-karts has also been set up.
The protest against the race comes after a string of anti-tourism protests in Spain, from the Canary Islands to the Balearics to Malaga.
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