Their slogan? “Help the planet, eat the rich, abolish the police.” Their weapons? Red and black paint guns. Their victim? Argentinian football superstar Lionel Messi, or rather his villa in Ibiza.
In a video released to the public, activists from the Spanish collective “Futuro vegetal” are filmed spraying paint on the white facade of this luxurious house located near the cove of Cala Tarida, on the west coast of Ibiza.
In a statement, the group said it wanted to draw attention to “the responsibility of the rich in the climate crisis” by targeting Messi’s “illegal” villa.
Futuro Vegetal cites in particular a 2023 Oxfam report assuring that the richest 1% of the planet emit as much greenhouse gases as the poorest two-thirds of the population.
Lionel Messi, who currently plays in Miami, United States, bought this villa which includes a spa with a sauna and a cinema room for around 11 million euros in 2022, according to the Spanish press.
Dozens of shock actions in Spain
But he has still not been able to obtain a certificate of habitability, a document issued by local authorities that ensures that the residence can be occupied, because several rooms had been built on the property without a permit, according to Spanish media.
Everything you need to know about Lionel Messi
“Futuro Vegetal”, linked to other groups in other countries with similar modes of action, has already staged dozens of shock actions in Spain.
In November 2022, two of their activists stuck their hands on a Goya painting in Madrid’s Prado Museum.