15 Dingli residents file judicial protest against Graffitti over roadworks

A group of Dingli residents have taken legal action against Moviment Graffitti for blocking controversial roadworks in their locality.

Graffitti members have been physically blocking heavy machinery from clearing trees and other natural obstacles, dividing two cul-de-sacs in Dingli since Monday. In a Facebook post, the organisation said they were doing so to prevent the building of an unpermitted road over arable fields in an ODZ zone, the destruction of 300-year-old carob trees and the endangerment of a medieval chapel.

But three residents filed a judicial protest this morning, through their lawyers Shazoo Ghaznavi and Charlon Gouder, in which they claimed Moviment Graffitti were “abusively, clandestinely and contrary to the express wishes of the plaintiffs and residents, creating obstacles to the works” by blocking the road, “and thereby creating a risk to the lives of the same residents.”

The residents claim that the NGO was never given a mandate by the road’s residents and therefore was representing them “illicitly and illegally,” causing some residents to miss appointments or be late for work. They would be holding Graffitti responsible in damages for any negative consequences, they said.

15 local residents signed a document attached to the judicial protest, giving their support for the roadworks.

But it would seem that the activists are not budging. In a reaction to the judicial protest, a Graffitti spokesperson said: “We are not surprised at this seeing the tactics Infrastructure Malta have repeatedly employed against us, including the harassment of some individuals external to Moviment Graffitti who joined our action through the use of malicious phone calls, and violent behaviour from different contractors on Monday and Tuesday.”

“We are in possession of ample documentation and video footage to dispel the allegations in the judicial protest, and we will be publishing a full statement to clarify matters in public, since it appears that a state agency is insisting on tarnishing our image, using residents as their shield.”

READ ALSO: Graffitti activists resume protest in Dingli as IM pushes ahead with controversial road