Residents of the island of Paros in Greece raised a wave of protests and started a “war” with tourists, fighting for the “liberation” of the beaches from the “illegal occupation”. They started a “Towel Movement” that disagreed that pushy sun lounger companies were making it hard for them to find a free spot on the beach.
Angry Greeks claim that expensive sun loungers are being forced on tourists and depriving locals of the opportunity to enjoy the beach. In July they organized a demonstration on a beach in the Aegean, holding signs like “Bring back the beach: Paros Citizens’ Movement for Free Beaches”.
The situation began to spread to other islands, prompting Kostis Hadzidakis, the Minister of National Economy and Finance of Greece, to call on the police to increase patrols and stop illegal activities.
“We will not allow anyone to take over our beaches,” the minister said.
Greece broke records this year for the number of tourists, and this has led to the emergence of many small companies offering sun loungers and towels for rent on the beaches. For example, Save Paros Beaches charges tourists 60 euros for an umbrella and two sun loungers per day. For 120 euros, tourists are offered a “VIP-zone”.
Protesting locals emphasize that the beaches are public places and are available to everyone for free. They said: “We assert our right to public space, our right to use the beaches. They are attacked by greedy and dishonest businessmen who occupy the beaches completely or go beyond the territory they have the right to rent.”
The first successful step for this movement was the closure of three sun lounger rental companies on the Santa Maria beach in Paros following a review of the land registry of Syros. The movement began in Paros and spread to other islands in the Cyclades archipelago, where locals have also expressed their concerns about aggressive beach rental practices.