Climate activists on Tuesday targeted a mansion owned by Argentine football icon Lionel Messi on the Spanish island of Ibiza, provoking a strong response from President Javier Milei of Argentina.
Members of the group Futuro Vegetal appeared in a video standing in front of Messi's property near Cala Tarida on Ibiza's western coast. They held a banner proclaiming: "Help the Planet – Eat the Rich – Abolish the Police."
The activists then sprayed the white facade of the building with red and black paint.
In a statement, the group said they wanted to highlight "the responsibility of the rich for the climate crisis" by targeting the mansion, which they claimed was an "illegal construction."
Futuro Vegetal cited a 2023 Oxfam report, which found that the richest 1% of the world's population generated the same amount of carbon emissions in 2019 as the poorest two-thirds of humanity.
This disparity persists despite the most vulnerable communities suffering the "worst consequences" of this crisis, they said.
Milei reacted furiously on X, formerly Twitter, condemning "Communists who want to murder the rich and abolish the police to end climate change."
"I stand with Messi's family over this cowardly and crazy incident," he added, urging Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government to ensure the security of Argentinians living in the country.
Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States, reportedly purchased the property on the Mediterranean island, which includes a spa with a sauna and a cinema room, in 2022 from a Swiss businessman for around 11 million euros ($12 million).
However, the mansion lacked a certificate of occupancy, a document issued by a local government agency certifying it is livable, due to the construction of several rooms on the property without a license, according to Spanish media reports.
Futuro Vegetal, which is linked to similar groups internationally, has staged dozens of similar protests, including one in 2022 where they glued their hands to the frames of paintings by Spanish master Francisco de Goya at Madrid's Prado Museum.
Last year, activists from the group spray-painted a superyacht moored in Ibiza with red and black paint that reportedly belonged to Nancy Walton Laurie, the billionaire heiress of U.S. retail giant Walmart.
Spanish police in January said they had arrested 22 members of Futuro Vegetal, including the two who staged the Prado protest and the group's top three leaders.
