‘The Fight Continues’: Valletta Residents Joined By Other Localities In Protest Against Outdoor Chairs And Tables
Residents of Sliema, Marsaskala, Mellieħa and St. Paul’s Bay joined those from Valletta yesterday for a protest in the capital against what they called an “invasion of public spaces by the private sector”.
The demonstration, which was organised by Residenti Beltin and supported by Moviment Graffitti, saw a crowd gather in front of Parliament to protest “the occupation of public spaces by tables, chairs and other structures”, which protesters said is affecting many people far beyond those who call the capital city their home.
“We reiterate that the pavements ought to be the citizens’,” Moviment Graffitti wrote in a post shared on social media yesterday evening, sharing photos from the protest. “No one has the right to occupy public spaces and block access to the public to continue making profit off of our backs.”
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Yesterday’s protest came days after Lovin Malta published two separate video clips on the matter, the first of which featured popular journalist and activist Peppi Azzopardi saying he’s frequently taken a stand by sitting down at outdoor restaurant tables without ordering and refusing to budge when ordered to do so. He finished off by saying we all have to power to do things like this, and encouraged others to do the same. Then, days later, prominent journalist Mark Laurence Zammit echoed his sentiments during the retelling of a surreal scene where he had to was forced to jostle dining tourists to make his way to his grandmother’s funeral.
And while Valletta (and indeed the rest of Malta’s citizens) have long been protesting the landgrab of certain outdoor private establishments, it’s clear that this latest round of online momentum definitely helped culminate in yesterday’s protest.
Do you agree with the protesters’ concerns?
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