Extinction Rebellion activists against climate change have targeted a number of golf courses in Spain including the Balearics in a coordinated act of sabotage.
They claim that these facilities consume an exaggerated amount of water, an amount that in times of drought is not acceptable and only benefits the wealthy.
With the slogan Als rics ni gota! (Not a drop for the rich) the group have posted a video on social networks that shows several individuals digging in a golf course and ‘sowing’ vegetables.
Extinction Rebellion said they had filled in holes under the cover of darkness in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, the Basque Country, Navarre and the Balearics to denounce “the waste of water during one of the worst droughts Europe has ever suffered”. “Golf has no place in a world without water,” said a statement from the group.
Some activists blocked holes with cement and left banners reading: “Alert: drought! Golf closed for climate justice” while others filled the holes with seedlings.
“Just one hole of a golf course consumes more than 100,000 litres of water a day to maintain the surrounding green,” said the statement, citing figures from the Spanish NGO Ecologists In Action.
Extinction Rebellion said it was part of a series of international protests “targeting the richest one percent of the population” through their golf courses, private jets and high-end cars to make clear that “the rich and their leisure activities that waste essential resources are a luxury we cannot afford”.