Moviment Graffitti has expressed its 'disgust' at what it said is the encroachment by rental deckchairs operators on garigue land close to the Blue Lagoon in Comino, "all with the blessing of the authorities."

"This move does not only run counter to the demands put forward by organisations and the public in the protests that took place last summer, but also exposes the weakness of ERA - the authority responsible for the safeguarding and conservation of Natura 2000 sites - and that of the Minister for the Environment, Miriam Dalli, in the face of commercial forces that are posing a very real threat to our natural heritage," the NGO said.

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo had, earlier this year, said that "only around 35% of the deck chairs that were present last year would be present this year atthe Blue Lagoon." Last year on 13 August, Moviment Graffitti held a public protest in Comino where they said that "Kemmuna ta' Kulħadd" or "Comino belongs to everyone" and to "Reclaim Blue Lagoon." There were protests held in favour of changing the "unsustainable waste and noise" created by the "hundreds of tourists and exaggerated number of kiosks" poured in by "intensive commercial interests."

Moviment Graffitti on Thursday said that last year, the government had promised the people of Malta and Gozo that this summer the situation in Comino was due to change. "This promise came after numerous protests, displays of anger and actions by citizens who were fed up of seeing this natural reserve fall victim to over-commercialisation. The people were expecting to see real change in relation to the music played at high volumes, the big boats which disembark hundreds of tourists at a time, and the deckchairs that occupied every inch of the Blue Lagoon. While we welcomed the news that the jetty and the beach are now free of deckchairs, in the past few weeks many drew our attention to the new practice of placing rental deckchairs on protected garigue land in Comino, a Nature 2000 site. Not surprisingly, we found out that the ERA officers took no action when notified of this abuse." 

"It is unacceptable that, year after year, the public authorities remain subservient towards business interests, accepting the destruction of natural habitat on public land," the NGO said. "We are holding the Minister for the Environment, Miriam Dalli, responsible for her complicity in the destruction of our natural environment."

Moviment Graffitti demands the immediate removal of deckchairs on garigue land, and that any request for a new concession is withdrawn by the applicant or categorically refused by the ERA and all the authorities involved in the process.

"If the authorities do not act now to halt this destruction, the public will be forced to intervene and protect Comino from the forces of greed. It is clear that the people are fed up, and we are convinced that the fight for justice and common good will prevail over the greed of the privileged few."