Moviment Graffitti’s Andre Callus has pledged to remain fighting for trees under attack in Mosta after being arrested this afternoon in a scene that’s been widely shared on social media.

“The trees are still here today, and we need to do everything we can to save them – and we will be doing our best to make sure these trees remain here,” Callus told Lovin Malta shortly after being arrested near the Mosta Dome.

Callus explained how activists have been keeping watch all day on the site after authorities yesterday greenlit the uprooting and replanting of 12 Ficus trees – however, it was when authorities began installing a fence that tensions began to rise.

“It’s clear what the aim of the fence was – to close us out so we do not continue halting the works,” Callus said, with protestors on site today halting works.

“In Mosta, they never placed fences around the holes and broken roads… all of a sudden here, they installed a fence,” Callus pointed out.

He recounted what happened right before police dragged him away.

“As we tried to remove part of the fence, I was stopped by police and taken to the station,” he said.

Callus made it clear that activists didn’t intend to have issues with police officers – “that’s not the goal here”.

“The goal remains to protest the decision by Mosta Local Council, Mosta Mayor Chris Grech and ERA,” Callus said, with a protest planned for 6.30pm tomorrow outside local council.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)

He called out the “excuse” given to remove the trees, ostensibly for “design” and “landscaping” purposes

“These are just some of the few remaining trees left…” he ended.

Watch the entire clip here: