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Off the coast of Byron Bay: surfers symbolically say “no” to Netflix
Photo: AP
Residents of the Australian coastal city of Byron Bay have demonstrated with their surfboards against a planned Netflix series.
They formed a circle in the sea on Tuesday with a line through the middle as a symbol for "No," as pictures in local media showed.
The series "Byron Baes" is supposed to take place in the popular seaside resort, but many residents fear negative effects for their hometown on the east coast of Australia.
"You'd have a hard time finding one person to support the streaming service plan," Mayor Simon Richardson told public broadcaster ABC.
The region already attracts 2.5 million visitors a year and does not need any additional tourists who would be fascinated by a "dull vision".
Love that is not returned
The streaming service Netflix had previously announced that it would portray Instagram influencers in "Byron Baes".
The series promises »fights, affairs and heartbreak« and is a »love letter« to the coastal community.
Love is not returned, however.
Almost 8,000 people joined an online petition asking the local council not to give the series a permit to film.
Some local companies also refused to allow filming on their premises.
Byron Bay has attracted a number of Hollywood stars such as Chris Hemsworth and Zac Efron to its shores in recent years.
The already high house prices continued to rise, so that some locals could no longer afford accommodation.
sak / afp