Sawt Falasteen - Greek islanders refuse to throw in the towel over sunloungers

Locals on the Aegean island of Paros got so annoyed this season that they set up a "reclaim our beaches" movement, posting photos and videos on social media of sands carpeted with "ridiculously pricey" loungers and petitioning the authorities to clamp down on rookie touts.

The movement has touched a nerve, spreading to other islands, beaches on the mainland and online, where the hashtags "kinima petsetas" ("beach towel movement") and "free beaches" are top trenders.

"We want public spaces like the seaside to be unencumbered, accessible, free and clean. Nothing less," says the "Active citizens" group on Twitter, which has been rebranded as "X".

The protest movement has gained such traction that the central government and local authorities are feeling forced to step in.

According to Greek law, at least 50 percent of every beach must be kept clear to allow people access to the sea.

Paros mayor Markos Koveos said deckchair hawkers and beach bars had been breaking the rules "for decades".

"But now, thanks to this citizens' movement, there are more checks," he told AFP by telephone.

Even the Supreme Court has got involved.

In early August, Court prosecutor Georgia Adilini asked magistrates on the little island of Syros, the administrative capital of the Cyclades, to step in.

They must, he said, make sure everyone had "access to public spaces" like the seaside, a right enshrined in the Greek constitution.

The finance ministry has already clamped down on tourist touts on the islands of Naxos and Zante, fining several for "illegally occupying" beaches.

"It's a funny turn of events when ordinary citizens are checking up on the authorities, rather than the other way round," investigative website Inside Story commented at the weekend.

It has even published a handy "Guide for Indignant Bathers".

G.AbuGhazaleh--SF-PST