Ġustizzja Għal Artna Activists Pack Up Parliament Camp; Promising To Keep Fighting Planning Reforms
After four days camping outside Parliament, activists from the Ġustizzja Għal Artna campaign have packed up their tents, but made one thing clear: they’re not backing down.
The environmental camp, organised by a coalition of NGOs including Moviment Graffiti, Din l-Art Ħelwa, and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, kicked off on Sunday just ahead of Monday’s budget speech and a massive protest against two controversial planning reform bills, Bills 143 and 144, along with a new legal notice.
Speaking from the camp on Wednesday, Moviment Graffiti’s Andre Callus admitted the past few nights in Valletta weren’t exactly a picnic.
“It was difficult, but it was also a beautiful experience,” Callus said. “We’ve seen so much solidarity on this issue.”
After three nights under the stars, the activists decided it was time to wrap up the camp, not the campaign.
“We are ending Kamp Ġustizzja għal Artna, but we will absolutely be continuing with Ġustizzja għal Artna,” Callus said, vowing to keep pushing for the government to withdraw the proposed laws.
Callus didn’t mince words, accusing the government of signing a “devil’s pact with developers” and saying the activists won’t rest until they see the amended version of the bills promised by Prime Minister Robert Abela.
Din l-Art Ħelwa’s president Patrick Calleja warned that the reforms could open the door for controversial projects to move forward, mentioning sites like Villa Rosa, Fort Chambray, Villa St Ignacius, and the Capitainerie in Ta’ Xbiex.
Meanwhile, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar coordinator Astrid Vella pointed to the “creeping desecration” in Valletta, where applications to build higher or open more shops keep rolling in every week.
Although activists have slammed the reform as the “developers’ wishlist,” the government insists it’s all about making planning more efficient and improving enforcement.
The controversy has even ruffled feathers within the Labour Party itself, with several Labour figures publicly criticising the reform, and the executive secretary of the party’s women’s section resigning over it.
For now, the tents may be gone, but the message from Malta’s green activists couldn’t be clearer: the fight for our land is just getting started.
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Photo credits to Moviment Graffitti
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