No Nudity Please - We're British!....I wish

I was in Gran Canaria a while ago and struck by the amount of signs outside shops saying "You won't get served in here unless you are properly dressed" or words to that affect.  At the time I was a bit niggled that the signs were all in English and no other language, but on reflection it was probably a fair call.  Some British men particularly seem to have no shame - beer guts, tatoos, builders bums - it's fair enough on the beach, but waddling around the streets and in restaurants (!) is a different matter, it's enough to put you off your Calamares.

The comments accompanying the article copied below ridicule the new law in Majorca, but I reckon the sooner it's imposed and enforced all over Spain the better.  That's my opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree, but the behaviour is making us a laughing stock around Europe.

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New laws being introduced in Majorca mean that tourists who are topless or wearing swimwear on the streets will be fined of up to £500.

Palma City Council is reportedly planning to bring into effect the Ordenanza Cívica in May in a bid to regulate "good behaviour" for tourists and residents alike, reports SeeMallorca.com.

There will be fines for people wearing swimwear in the street, as well as proposals for a ban on drinking alcohol on the streets, too.

According to the Daily Mail, under a section called 'Etiquette', the Ordenanza states anyone 'devoid of superior parts of clothing" away from the beach will be fined.

Other proposals include issuing fines for cycling on the pavement, as well as banning glass bottles and buckets on the beach.

The laws are expected to be implemented by the end of May - just in time for the summer holiday season.

The city's vice mayor, Alvaro Gijon, denied claims the new proposals were just a money-making scheme and said they were intended to promote good behaviour of locals and tourists in a bid to preserve "harmony and civility".

A similar idea was introduced in Barcelona back in 2011, where tourists who wander off the beach and onto the streets in bikinis and trunks face strict fines.

The city hall voted to ban "nudity or virtual nudity in public places" and limit swimwear to swimming pools, beaches, adjacent roads and beach walks.

There's a stiff fine for bikini and trunk-wearing wanderers (120 to 300 euros), while nudists face an even tougher fine of 300 to 500 euros.
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Totally agree. All the shops round here have the "you must wear a shirt inside" signs up in English. In a Mercadona (about 10k inland from a beach, mind) two lads went in without shirts on. One of the assistants offered them a T-shirt but they got stroppy, in English of course. They were told to leave and went out muttering about the bloody Spanish.

 To be fair, I have noticed quite a few other nationalities walking round "topless" and definitely not a pretty sight.

Totally agree as well.  Sign of the times is that there are now notices in supermarkets here in the UK, saying that shirts must be worn.Not sure if they stipulate shoes as well, as they do in the USA.

about time!
I think some men are simply ignorant as they walk around the streets topless and those who sit in bars / cafes, got to shops are even worse - complete disrespect for anyone.

Let's hope the police can make more revenue out of these ignorant people,

Oddly (but not strange in Spain) the national law does not make being nude in a public place, an offence, although some local authorities have passed such legislations.  I understand that it may be that a local law cannot contradict a national law, but I guess that contradiction has not been tested in court.

A few years back, there was a photo-shoot opposite a national police station. The women were all topless and some just about nude (maybe the men too but I did not notice ! ).   With me, there were a few police officers standing on the police station steps watching.  I expressed surprise at what was happening, but the police explained it was not illegal.

Of course being nude for an unlawful reason, e.g. flashing, is illegal.  And any establishment has the right to exclude anyone it chooses.   ‘Inappropriately dressed’ people have never been permitted to enter the police stations where I have worked.   And of course not all police officers know the law, so it's implimentation may vary !

I quite like to see a hairy chested alpha male walking up and down the prom but draw a line when queing at the bank unless he is Gerard Depairdo or that nice Eric Cantona fella

Love Hugh

xxx

Possibly there's a bit of wishful thinking here! 

Personally I wouldn't relish the prospect of either of those guys, but in fairness they would not be quite so offensive.

Sadly though the usual sight you see, is not pleasant and almost 100% by blokes, which reminds me of an apt paraprosdokian - Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy!

Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy!

Not been to UK or Benidorm for a while then, acer?