'Robin Hood' activists glue shut Airbnb lockboxes to protest overtourism in Italy

The anonymous campaigners glued shut about 80 lockboxes in Trastevere, one of the many areas in Italy which has been an increase in the number of tourists staying in short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.

A group of activists inspired by Robin Hood have sabotaged lockboxes that provide access to Airbnb rentals in an anti-tourism protest in Rome.

The anonymous campaigners glued shut about 80 lockboxes in Trastevere, one of the many areas in Italy which has been an increase in the number of tourists staying in short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.

Statements accompanied by Robin Hood-like hats were left behind across the city. They said the anonymous group were protesting “an unjust society” where rents are rising and people are being evicted from their homes to facilitate tourism.

This comes as 30 million people are expected to visit Rome for the Jubilee Year next year, which celebrates the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of the Lord. The Catholic Holy Year starts on Christmas Eve and will continue until January 6, 2026.

The groups invited residents to join them in their Robin Hood campaign, sharing instructions on how to sabotage the key locks with glue. This isn’t the first time the anonymous group has protested against the rise of tourism in the country.

In October, they removed padlocks used by Airbnb rentals to “denounce the sell-off" of their city which “leaves the people who live there on the street”.

Ahead of the Jubilee, the protestors called on the mayor of the capital to guarantee a “social pact” which would determine the maximum threshold of properties which can be used for short-term rentals.

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According to them, the initiative would stop the “hunger of landlords” and protect “those who are vulnerable”. Riccardo Raineri, 28, uses the Airbnb platform to let part of his home to tourists in Lake Como.

Even though he does not approve of the practice used by the anti-tourism protesters, he said: “I think that overall, it is positive as they increase awareness of the institutions to the problem of local people being pushed away from historical centre.

“This problem has its roots in economic mechanisms, and I think that institutions should manage it with some policies, for example defining percentages of apartments that can be assigned to vacation rental, or lower taxes for those who rent apartments to people with the purpose of living.” 

Earlier this December, a ban was introduced on self-check-in key boxes in Italy for tourists checking into holiday rentals. The decree was introduced as a security measure for hosts to be able to verify the identity of their guests in person rather than leave instructions for travellers to check themselves in.