The Environment and Resources Authority can scream all it likes to defend the butchering of the ficus trees in the heart of Mosta which gave the eyes respite and provided some much-needed shade in our hot climate.

But such an action is never justifiable, irrespective of the “clarification” that ficus trees can be replanted and that the birds that used to nest there can find an alternative before winter sets in.

It is sad to note that an authority that was set up to supposedly protect the environment – the little of it that we have left – has decided to approve this destruction, which has been condemned outright by real environmentalists.

Those trees had been there for 50 years, the only greenery in one of the few open spaces that could be found in the densely populated heart of one of Malta’s biggest towns. They provided comfort and shade to people waiting for public transport, and offered a home to hundreds of birds too. Now they are no longer there.

The video showing the desperate creatures milling around the stumps of the massacred trees in search of their home is heart-breaking. The video attracted hundreds of complaints from citizens, who described the removal of the trees as “barbaric”, “crazy”, “shameful, “shocking”, “unforgivable” and a thousand other disdainful adjectives.

The Mosta local council has unanimously given the exercise the green light for the exercise. It announced its agreement on a Sunday night, just hours before the the butchering of the trees, and said that the ficus trees will be replanted elsewhere and replaced with other indigenous trees. The fact that the council chose to announce the plan at a time when the number of people on social media was low and without giving time for any protests indicates that there was an attempt to “hide” the butchering until the very last moment, when it was too late to mount some kind of opposition.

It is a shame that the Mosta council, rather than defending what should have been defended, was on board with this so-called part of the regeneration plan of the Mosta main square. We are sure that most Mosta residents do not support the idea, and those of them who will go cast their vote in June next year should keep this in mind when they choose their representatives for the following five years. Those who disagree with the idea of removing these trees should pick candidates who do not form part of the Mosta council as we know it today.

The action taken by the police with regard to one activist who just moved a fence - putting him in handcuffs and forcibly carrying him to the police station - was a clear example of the police being strong with the weak. It was shocking and was not an acceptable level of force. At least he was released soon after.

This is not the first time that battles have been waged against trees in the name of progress. Thousands have been uprooted to make way for roads, not to mention other vegetation that has been obliterated as fields were converted into buildings.

And, each time, the authorities march on without giving two hoots about public sentiment, trying to justify what is, in fact, unjustifiable.

Why is (part of) this country so intent on destroying nature?