Moviment Graffitti has said that its Freshers' Week stand at the University of Malta campus was removed due to material relating to reproductive rights.

Posting on social media, Moviment Graffitti said: "This morning we visited our Freshers' Week stand at the University Campus and we found this situation. The University's student council, Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU), took down our stand because they wanted to decide what kind of material we could have in it. It is unbelievable. They told us that material relating to reproductive rights had to be removed."

"Obviously, we did not accept this. Thus, they stealthily went behind our backs, in the middle of the night, and took down our stand, confiscating any material we had in it."

"The University is supposed to be the centre of discussion and ideas, not only within the University but the entire country. However, the KSU think they are some kind of moral dictators, and that they should dictate what students discuss or do not discuss. What's next? Burning books?"

KSU responded to the social media post filed by Moviment Graffitti on Wednesday. 

The KSU, in response, said: "This year, KSU took the decision not to allow any abortion related entities to participate in Freshers' Week, no matter the stance of pro-life or pro-choice. We believe this event does not provide an adequate platform for this discussion to take place with the gravitas it deserves. KSU fully supports discussions on critical and contentious issues, but believes that these conversations must be approached with the time, space and depth they deserve, something that considering the limited scope of engagement that can be achieved on the stands, cannot occur properly during this week."

"Despite this, Moviment Graffiti chose to display pro-choice content at their stand, ignoring our reasoning, which had been clearly communicated. As a result, the organisation has levied further accusations, which so far have only been made in private, against KSU, for censorship. It is essential that the distinction between censorship and ensuring that controversial topics are discussed in a setting that respects their complexity be made clear. KSU has never sought to avoid these conversations. In fact, we have reached out to both Life Network and to Movement Graffitti proposing to broaden this conversation both through our Social Policy Office and Commission. As a Council, we remain committed to facilitating these conversations in a manner that respects both the issue at hand and the ability of students to engage with it critically."

PL Statement

The PL issued a statement, and said that "in light of the situation that has developed during Freshers' Week at the University of Malta, organized by the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU), Żgħażagħ Laburisti firmly assert that censorship has no place and that freedom of expression, when managed with respect, must be allowed to thrive without anyone attempting to stifle it. Żgħażagħ Laburisti express their solidarity with Moviment Graffiti after their stand was allegedly dismantled by the organisers. As a youth branch, we are deeply concerned about this behavior that censors topics which, despite their sensitivity, should never be removed from the table of discussion. Beyond the subject at hand, freedom of expression, when managed with respect, must not be suppressed. What has occurred at the University alarms us. Like every other educational institution, there should be a promotion of critical and free thought, as we believe these institutions should serve as laboratories of ideas and thought-not as a group of individuals deciding which subjects should be discussed or elevated. In recent years, laws have been enacted by the legislator to strengthen the fight against censorship, and we feel it is a disgrace to have decisions that roll back progress."

Later in the day, Moviment Graffitti issued another social media post: "After removing our stand under the cover of night, the KSU - Kunsill Studenti Universitarji has allowed us back on our stand but banned items discussing abortion. Despite around 500 people in Malta accessing abortions every year, amongst them youths and university students, KSU claims that abortion is too 'contentious' of an issue to be discussed at Freshers' Week, and that doing so is a 'disservice to the entire debate'. This is a pathetic and anti-feminist excuse considering the many 'contentious' issues we work on."