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Anonymous activists in Rome have attacked short-term rental properties in the name of Robin Hood amid ongoing overtourism protests across Europe.
Holidaymakers checking into homes in the Italian capital have arrived to find key safes hacked off the wall with a protest note and the green felt hat of the famed outlaw in their place.
One note read: “If you are looking for the key safes and can’t find them, read this.
“We are rebelling. We have removed these key storage boxes to denounce the sell-out of the city to short-stay holidays which alienate locals and leave residents out on the streets.”
Host platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com often leave instructions for travellers to check themselves in and pick up keys by using the safes.
According to La Repubblica, the sabotage took place in Via di San Teodoro, between the Circus Maximus and the Palatine Hill – the heart of Rome’s historic ruins.
The protesters wrote that “an exponential growth” in rental costs over recent years in comparison to people’s salaries “which aren’t growing” had seen long-term tenants suffer.
They also called on Robert Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, to set a “maximum threshold” for properties used for short-term rentals in the city.
Rome’s next Jubilee Year will be celebrated in 2025 and the city expects to welcome 35 million pilgrims and tourists to embark on a spiritual journey in the Italian capital.
The lamppost notes added “This is only the first action we take against your Jubilee of the Rich”.
It’s not the first movement against mass tourism in Italy this year.
Protesters clashed with police in Venice this week after it became the first city in the world to introduce a payment system for tourists.
The €5 (£4.17) charge came into force on Thursday (24 October) in an effort to thin the crowds that throng its canals.
It has been met with protests from residents saying they didn’t want to live in a theme park, with some confronting police officers during a demonstration in Piazzale Roma.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
