A naked tourist was beaten by police in Ibiza after challenging them to a fight, in a chaotic confrontation that left holidaymakers stunned on a beach promenade in San Antonio on Thursday.
Confrontation
The English-speaking man, who had been exercising without clothes on the seafront, was reportedly seen doing press-ups on a bench and throwing his clothing, including a trainer, into the air before officers arrived. Members of the public alerted authorities after numerous complaints were made about his behaviour over a short period of time. By the time police reached the scene, the situation had escalated rapidly.
Video footage from the scene appears to show the man shouting insults in English and challenging officers to a fight while completely naked. He then moved across the sand on his hands and knees in an attempt to evade them. Police responded by striking the man with batons, according to the footage. Onlookers described the man as “apparently drunk, disturbed and quite agitated, possibly due to the consumption of drugs”.
The man repeatedly swore at officers as they approached him, and the confrontation continued until he was eventually handcuffed and detained. Police have not yet confirmed whether he will face charges or what his nationality is.
The incident comes just days after another disturbance in San Antonio, where two tourists were filmed fighting late at night on a street, leaving blood stains on a public art mural. In that confrontation, a bystander who attempted to break up the fight was punched by another individual, allowing the brawl to continue.
Local officials in San Antonio had already announced plans to increase police numbers across the resort during the busy summer season. The municipality is enhancing security with a significant boost in surveillance cameras – from 40 to 119 – and increasing the number of local police officers from 40 to 69. The West End area has been identified as a priority zone for these reinforcements. A specialised Beach Territorial Unit of the Local Police patrols beaches and coastal zones to prevent illegal vending and maintain order.
Public nudity is legal in Spain, but engaging in sexual acts or stripping in public places can result in fines. In November 2024, a 19-year-old Spanish national was arrested in Ibiza for alleged sexual assault and exhibitionism after walking naked in a park. In August 2019, a Ferrari driver was fined for driving with a naked woman on the roof of his car in Ibiza town.
Public Reaction
Stunned onlookers watched as officers overpowered the man. One British tourist was heard saying “oh my God”. A Spanish bystander could be heard shouting: “Hit him, hit that d***head hard.” The man’s behaviour prompted a range of responses from holidaymakers, with some reportedly expressing concern that he might be under the influence of drugs.
There have been past allegations of excessive force by police in San Antonio involving British tourists. In 2016, a holiday rep claimed police told her “she was next” after she filmed officers “excessively restraining” a British holidaymaker, Luke Rhoden, who later died. An inquest jury found that Spanish police used excessive force that contributed to his death, attributing it to asphyxiation caused by restraint methods and a reaction to drugs. His father has since campaigned for justice and urged Britons to boycott Ibiza due to alleged “cop brutality”. Another case from 2015 involved a man who claimed he was battered and tortured by Guardia Civil officers.
In a separate initiative in August 2015, British police officers patrolled alongside the Guardia Civil in San Antonio as part of a trial operation funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, intended to remind British holidaymakers of local laws and customs and provide support to victims of crime.
Hospitalisation
After being handcuffed and detained, the man was taken to Can Misses Hospital, the main public hospital in Ibiza Town. The hospital has previously been in the news for other incidents, including a case in November 2025 where a man died after falling from a height outside its emergency department, with investigations ongoing into whether it was accidental or a suicide.
Police have not yet confirmed the man’s nationality or whether he will face charges. The incident follows a pattern of extreme behaviour linked to drug use in Ibiza. In October 2016, a naked British tourist described as “extremely violent” and “looking like a zombie” was believed to have taken a designer drug, possibly Flakka, which can induce aggression and paranoia.
