The phenomenon started last July, when a fringe, left-wing activist group based in Barcelona that promotes the “degrowth” of the city’s successful tourism sector held its first successful rally.

Its indirect income from tourism — including the money that visitors spent in bars and restaurants — was €42.7 billion, so it isn’t just hotels and tour companies that are cashing in.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A group of tourists were sitting at an outdoor table in the Spanish city of Barcelona, trying to enjoy their drinks, when a woman raised a cheap plastic water gun and shot an ...

A group of tourists were sitting at an outdoor table in the Spanish city of Barcelona, trying to enjoy their drinks, when a woman raised a cheap plastic water gun and shot an arc of water at them ...

The humble water gun — the cheap, squirt-squirt variety — has become the weapon of choice and symbol of Spain's anti-tourism protests.

The humble water gun has become the symbol of Spain's anti-tourism protests. It all started at a tourism protest in Barcelona, Spain in 2024.

The images went around the world, becoming a publicity coup for the anti-tourism cause. The guns reappeared in April when the same group stopped a tour bus in Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

How the humble water gun became the symbol of Barcelona’s anti-tourism movement by: JOSEPH WILSON, Associated Press Posted: Jun 16, 2025 / 06:11 PM EDT Updated: Jun 16, 2025 / 06:11 PM EDT ...

The humble water gun — the cheap, squirt-squirt variety — has become the weapon of choice and symbol of Spain's anti-tourism protests By JOSEPH WILSON - Associated Press ...