Name: \u201cParisians out!\u201d<\/p>\n
Age: It officially commenced at the start of August.<\/p>\n
Appearance: Scratched into cars and painted on walls, mainly.<\/p>\n
Where? In southern Finist\u00e8re, specifically in the Bigouden area.<\/p>\n
In France<\/a>, you mean? Yes, the western edge of Brittany.<\/p>\n Why wouldn\u2019t Parisians be allowed in Brittany? They are, but they\u2019re not wholly welcome. Many residents want Parisian tourists to go home<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why? Because they\u2019re sick of them.<\/p>\n When did this start? It\u2019s said to have originated from a sharp rise in second homeowners from the French capital dating back to the pandemic<\/a>, but this summer it began with a \u201cParisians Out!\u201d sign being displayed in the town of Plogoff.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not very nice. The mayor of Plogoff agreed. \u201cWe can defend our peace and quiet, our environment and our quality of life without rejecting or stigmatising those who come to our area,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Did that put a lid on things? It did not. Some days later in the town of Plobannalec-Lesconil, a car was scratched with the words \u201cNo to Parisians\u201d. Two more cars were similarly vandalised.<\/p>\n How did the vandals know the cars belonged to Parisians? Cars registered in Paris have \u201c75\u201d in their number plates.<\/p>\n That sounds like a bad idea. Ironically, the vandalised cars were all owned by local people who had moved to Paris<\/a>. Later, graffiti saying \u201cRefugees welcome, tourists go home!\u201d was found on a wall in the area.<\/p>\n Aren\u2019t these places sort of dependent on tourism, from Paris and elsewhere? Yes, but the pressure on local infrastructure is apparently overwhelming. The population of some villages and towns in Finist\u00e8re trebles in July and August.<\/p>\n I can see how that would be maddening. Also, the heatwaves and wildfires led people to change their plans and take \u201ccoolcations\u201d on the northerly Brittany coast, adding extra pressure.<\/p>\n