For 76 years tens of thousands of revellers have descended on the Valencian town of Buñol to hurl tomatoes at each other. In recent times, however, a rotten core has become apparent.
As the 77th edition of La Tomatina invited 22,000 people spending an hour throwing 120,000 kilograms of overripe tomatoes on Wednesday, official cracked down on the growing issue of sexual harassment.
It is one of Spain’s most famous festivals and attracts visitors from all over the world, in particular Asian countries, who wear protection such as swimming goggles in the face of flying fruit.
Organisers have gone to special efforts to ensure all participants remain safe
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In 2011 there was a notorious incident when a female reporter, Verónica Sanz, was harassed live on air from the event as male participants repeatedly pinched her bottom while