Irish tourists fire back at Barcelona water-pistol wielding anti-tourism protesters

Two young Irishmen retaliated Sunday against Barcelona protesters who are using squirt guns against tourists, claiming over-tourism is ruining the city for residents.

Two young French tourists are squirted in a Barcelona restaurant Saturday by anti-tourism protesters.

Hearing that hundreds of water pistol-wielding protesters were dousing tourists in the city’s Las Ramblas district, the two men, armed with heavy duty “Super Soaker” water rifles, blasted dozens of out-gunned student squirters near a popular tourist restaurant.

As they hosed down the protesters, the raincoat-glad Irishmen shouted, “Eat my water,” reloading their two-liter magazines frequently to continue the deluge.

Angry protesters complained to nearby police that the Super Soakers delivered water at dangerously high pressure. According to one student, the police laughed and told him to upgrade his calibre.

According to protest organizers, hundreds of anti-tourism protesters with colorful water pistols took to the streets over the weekend to squirt suspected tourists in popular restaurants, cafés and at entrances to hotels and hostels. As soggy tourists scurried away, Catalans were seen chanting “tourists go home” and using red tape to cordon off hotel and restaurant entry points. Other demonstrators held signs that said “tourism kills the city.“

On Saturday, Jaume Collboni, Barcelona’s mayor, renewed his commitment to eliminate Airbnb style short-term rentals in the city within five years. In his statement, however, he said that protesters were frequently mistaking local residents for tourists, adding that his sister and her husband were drenched Friday night.

Although social media featured dozens of protester-posted videos, a video of the young Irishmen in action in Las Ramblas stole the show. Late Sunday, the two unidentified men posted their own video on two platforms. In it, they are pictured holding their Super Soakers with one of the men saying in Spanish, “Collboni, we’re coming for you.”