On Greece’s popular island of Paros, a protest by residents demanding space and free access to its sandy beaches has led to a growing nationwide movement against the expansion of pricey sunbeds rented out by private companies.The protests, dubbed by media the ‘Towel Movement’, have quickly spread from Paros to the nearby island of Naxos and to other holiday spots at the north and the south of the country.”The locals enjoy the peacefulness here, so we do not want it [the beach] to be taken up by businesses who care about the money, and not about nature and the vibe,” said Ronit Nesher, a 53-year-old Paros resident.”We do not want the beach to be occupied by umbrellas and huge, you know, really humongous beds that have nothing to do with the simplicity of the island.”Beaches are public in Greece, a country receiving millions of tourists every year, mainly in the summer, its top tourism season. However, an increasing number of businesses have received licenses to rent out sun beds and umbrellas which they set up along a stretch of beach.
