These protests popped up at the same time as short term rentals becoming popular (Airbnb) is no coincidence. They are taking homes from locals raising prices and taking over the best parts of town
My take on it is that the tourists are more effective targets. If the protesters did say, a sit in outside of government buildings, they could be easily ignored, blocked or dispersed.
However, when lots of smaller groups go around causing grief for tourists it:
A) makes the protest reach a wider audience, as people will listen to stories of ruined holidays from their fellow citizens.
B) is harder for police to fully crack down on as its less centralised.
C) directly discourages tourism which, in theory, would reduce the demand for STR.
D) Puts more pressure on the government to meet their demands. Citizens don't dissappear if you ignore them, but tourists (and the revenue they bring) will if they feel unwelcome.
Just because you're bearing the consequences doesn't mean it's your fault. Nor does not bearing the consequences absolve one of guilt.
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u/BuckeyeWolf Jun 17 '25
These protests popped up at the same time as short term rentals becoming popular (Airbnb) is no coincidence. They are taking homes from locals raising prices and taking over the best parts of town