It all started at the beginning of August, when a sign saying “Parisians, get out!” appeared in the town of Plogoff, located on the western edge of Brittany, reports The Guardian.
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The town’s mayor condemned such behavior. According to him, local residents have the right to defend their peace, environment, and quality of life, but this can be done without alienating and stigmatizing newcomers.
However, the conflict did not end there. In the town of Plobanalec-Leskonil, the words “No Parisians” were scratched on one car, and later two more cars were damaged. They were identified by the number 75 on their license plates, which is assigned to Paris.
Ironically, it turned out that all the damaged cars belonged to local residents who had moved to Paris. Later, another sign appeared on a wall in the area: “Refugees welcome, tourists go home.”
The population triples in summer
Local people’s dissatisfaction is linked to the sharply increased interest of Parisians in second homes in Brittany after the pandemic. Some residents of the capital have bought summer houses here or moved to live for a longer period.
In July and August, the population of some towns and villages in Finistère triples. This becomes a challenge for local infrastructure, and residents complain about losing their peace.
This summer, the flow of holidaymakers was further increased by the heatwaves and forest fires that ravaged Southern Europe. Some tourists changed their plans and chose the so-called cooler holidays on the Brittany coast.
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This becomes a challenge for local infrastructure, and residents complain about losing their peace.
Dissatisfaction with Parisians is no longer limited to Brittany. On the Île de Ré, leaflets are distributed urging Paris residents to go home, and in Corsica, people with second homes have received threats.
More and more areas face this problem
Many of these areas in France depend on income from tourism. However, the growing number of visitors and demand for second homes increase pressure on local infrastructure, change the life of towns, and make it harder for permanent residents to find housing.
Similar protests have previously occurred in Barcelona, Venice, the Canary and Balearic Islands. However, the case of France stands out because the anger of local residents is directed not against foreigners, but against holidaymakers from the same country.
This shows that overtourism is not only a problem for the most popular European cities. As travelers seek cooler and less visited places, large crowds are also encountered in regions previously considered quieter.
