Cars vandalised as French seaside resorts turn on tourists from Paris

Parisians holidaying in Brittany have faced hostility from locals after car doors were scored with slogans and insults were hurled at tourists on the street.

The anti-Parisian message was scratched into car paintwork in the port of Plobannalec-Lesconil, in Finistère, Brittany. The town is a seaside destination popular with summer tourists.

Loïc Le Fur, mayor of Plobannalec-Lesconil, expressed his “disgust” in a social media post over the vandalism of Paris-registered cars, accompanied by a picture of a black vehicle with the etched slogan “non au Parisieim” (translating loosely to “no to the Parisian attitude” or “mindset”).

“Beyond the material damage, it is the spirit of these actions that deeply shocks us. Our municipality has always been, and must remain, an open, welcoming and respectful municipality for everyone, regardless of their origin, place of residence or the reason for their presence among us,” the mayor said.

“No one should be regarded as an unwanted stranger simply because they come from elsewhere. I offer my full support, and that of the council, to the victims of this vandalism,” he added.

Other hostile activity has also been reported in the Finistère department, which has played host to more tourists than usual this summer after heatwaves blighted the south of the country.

In the coastal town of Penmarc'h, the mayor, David Le Berre, said there had been a report of a jogger being “verbally assaulted” after being asked by someone if she “was from around here”, followed by a range of insults.

A wall in the town was also tagged with the slogan “refugees welcome, tourists go home!”

“I want to make it clear: it is shocking to see behaviours expressed in public spaces and in daily life that have nothing to do with the welcoming spirit of Penmarc'h,” Mr Le Berre wrote on Facebook.

“Pitting people against one another, intimidating them, or questioning a person’s right to be on our streets: there is no place for that here.

“The graffiti will be removed promptly. As for the verbal abuse, it is firmly condemned. No one should have to justify their presence in public spaces.”

However, Mr Le Berre has previously acknowledged that tourists, who triple the town’s population from 5,600 to 17,000 in the summer, have led to infrastructure issues.

“There can be traffic problems, as the roads are not always able to cope with such a large influx of people, a shortage of parking spaces in busy areas, or even housing issues due to the rise in the number of second homes,” he told Le Parisien.

Second homes have caused contention across regions such as Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Corsica.

Masked Corsican separatists recently threatened tourists against moving to the island or buying second homes, warning they cannot consider themselves safe in a video published online.

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