Climate activists vandalize Lionel Messi’s mansion in Ibiza

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish climate activists vandalized the mansion of Argentina footballer Lionel Messi in Ibiza on Tuesday.

Members of the activist group Futuro Vegetal covered the mansion’s white walls with splatters of black and red dye and managed to get into the property’s backyard.

In front of its luxurious pool, patio and football court, protesters posed with a sign reading: "Help the planet. Eat the rich. Abolish the police.”

On social media, the protestors claimed that the €11 million ($12 million) mansion was built illegally.

The group pointed to a news story by Spanish daily El Diario that found how some of the ultra-wealthy in Ibiza, including Messi, had been busted for illegally amplifying their homes on the Mediterranean island.

Besides the housing regulation, Futuro Vegetal also lamented the role of the rich in climate emissions.

"The 1% richest of the population is responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the poorest two-thirds of the population," the group wrote on social media platforms.

The activists also said that while they were vandalizing the mansion, between two and four people died in Spain’s Balearic islands due to a heat wave.

On Tuesday, parts of Mallorca are under a heat warning, with temperatures set to hit 37 C (98.6 F).

While summer got off to a cool start, Spain has been suffering from heat wave after a heat wave in recent weeks.

In July alone, an estimated 771 people died nationwide from excess heat, according to the Carlos III Health Institute.

Futuro Vegetal is a Spanish collective that has been behind similar protests. Activists have thrown temporary dye on Spain’s parliament, mega-yachts and private jets, and glued themselves to the frames of Goya paintings in the Prado Museum.

Messi has not commented on their actions.