An unannounced protest against over-development which took place throughout the weekend, just outside the Office of the Prime Minister, has come to a close. Kamp Emergenza Ambjent stated that they are “satisfied” with managing to “occupy” such an important area.
The protest began peacefully on Saturday morning – a number of tents were erected in protest of the high volumes of development applications being granted by the Planning Authority.
During a press conference to conclude the protest yesterday evening, KEA said:
“After we occupied Castille square yesterday in order to express our concerns on the state of the natural environment in Malta, Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent noted, from a lot of people’s reactions to this initiative, that the message has come across. For this reason, we will be dismantling the tents soon. We are satisfied that we managed to occupy a central and important space in Malta and that we have shown a strong and clear opposition to the destruction of the environment. This is an emergency!
“Having said that, this is not the end of Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent. We are going to continue to consolidate this positive experience by having more direct actions about the safeguarding of the environment in the near future.
“This will strengthen further the work done by individuals and organisations that are in favour of the environment. We will be following closely the projects proposed in Żonqor and Ħas-Saptan, if any ODZ land will be decreased and other issues where our natural environment is put in danger of destruction. We are going to watch them closely and take action whenever and wherever it is necessary.
“We would like to thank all those who came to join our camp and all those who showed their support in other ways despite not being able to be here. We call on people to continue following Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent and to participate in actions that will take place in the near future.”
Although the many placards gave away the nature of the gathering outside Castille, the warm weather, tents and numerous tourists passing by created a jovial atmosphere. KEA were involved in a protest against the development of a home for the elderly at Wied Ghomor, a valley between San Gwann and Swieqi. Continuing with their success, the group decided to protest over the weekend in order to further strengthen their message and raise awareness.