A video, entitled "Christmas is Coming in the Canary Islands", has been released online showing vandals slashing sunbeds on beaches in Los Cristianos with a knife, in a blatant act of vandalism. The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday when over 230 sunbeds were destroyed, with damages estimated at €5,000.
Between 9pm and 6am, unidentified individuals wreaked havoc on two beaches, damaging 100 sunbeds at Las Vistas and 136 at El Camisón. The vandals also spray-painted slogans such as “The Canaries are not for sale” on some of the loungers, leading to calls for increased security to find the perpetrators and stop it happening again.
Lack of Nighttime Security
Braulio Melián Pérez, the manager of El Enyesque SL, the company managing beach services near Los Cristianos, expressed frustration over the absence of police patrols on the beaches during nighttime hours. “We’ve been without beach police for two years,” he said, calling for immediate action.
Melián believes the attack was premeditated. “The perpetrators clearly knew the layout and the furniture. This wasn’t random; it was orchestrated,” he stated. He noted that the vandals specifically avoided damaging umbrellas, which are more expensive than loungers, suggesting that their intention was more symbolic than economic.
Economic and Operational Impact
The damage has disrupted beach operations significantly. With nearly 10% of the company’s 1,100 sun loungers destroyed, replacing the broken beds could take up to a month, as new supplies must be shipped from Barcelona. Damaged loungers have been removed from prime positions and relegated to the back rows.
“This is the largest attack we’ve faced in eight years,” Melián added, emphasizing that the vandalism impacts not only his business but also the local tourism industry. “Nearly all the people who use these loungers are holidaymakers. This was a direct attack on them, and by extension, on the local economy.”
Community Reactions and Official Response
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation. The environmental group Salvar a la Tejita, which has led protests against unsustainable development in the region, denied any involvement. “We condemn these acts entirely,” a spokesperson said, distancing the organisation from the vandalism. “Our methods are legal and media-focused, not destructive.”
Arona’s mayor, Fátima Lemes, denounced the vandalism as a “flagrant lack of civility that damages Arona’s heritage and harms both residents and visitors.” She called for community cooperation to identify those responsible, emphasizing that such acts are punishable under the law. “The people of Arona are deeply committed to preserving our environment, but unfortunately, exceptions exist,” she remarked.
