Naked Italian Tourists Spark Outrage in Barcelona

Photography by Vicens Forner

This week, nearly 100 Barcelona residents took to the streets to protest tourists' anti-social behavior. Demonstrators called for local officials to do more to curb what resident's call "drunken tourism."

The demos were sparked by photos of a trio of Italian tourists frolicking bare-assed through the city's La Barceloneta neighborhood for three hours last friday.

"We're tired of low-cost, drunken tourism," said La Barceloneta neighborhood association leader, Oriol Casabella to Britian's The Guardian. "It's killing our neighborhood and dissuading other types of tourists. It's Magaluf all over again."

Public nudity was legal in Bacelona until two years ago when the city banned public nudity and improper dress. Residents objected to tourists wearing beachwear to the city's historic sites. They also saw it as endemic among tourists more interested in cheap booze and partying than the city's cultural offerings. A similar sentiment was behind the Dutch city of Maastricht's decision to bar tourists from purchasing marijuana.

On Wednesday, La Barcelonerta's city councillor, Merce Homs, said she would adopt a "zero tolerance" policy on antisocial behavior.

As the summer draws to a close its best to remember what they told you before you went on your semester abroad: "Don't be a dickhead."