Graffitti planning ‘PLPN-free’ national protest in favour of a ‘better, quieter way of life’

A national protest calling on authorities to guarantee a better quality of life for citizens will be held in September, Moviment Graffitti have said.

As the public’s frustration at the perceived rapid rate of environmental degradation has increased, the NGO has become somewhat of reference point for people wishing to take action on environmental issues. 

“We feel encouraged and comforted by the messages many of you have sent in asking us, ‘what next? Will you protest?’,” the NGO said yesterday, referring to last week’s approval of a permit for the controversial Central Link Project in Attard.

It said it has been busy organising a “PLPN-free space” for people to protest. “A non-partisan action just like all others organised in the 25 years of Moviment Graffitti’s existence and which will include residents and NGOs from all over Malta.”

Rather than being specific to the Central Link Project, the NGO said that the protest would also be against Malta’s current planning and development framework.

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Graffitti said it would be protesting what it described as bullying by Maltese developers, theft of public land for pitiful sums and the superpower of the business class, which it said was busy building monsters to the public’s detriment.

The protest will also be aimed at the “corruption of the many involved in planning” and the Planning Authority, described by the NGO as a “authentic military junta sentencing square kilometres of virgin land to death every week”.

The NGO is also calling for an end to “superficial environmental policies” and to the “arrogance with which authorities treat communities across Malta and Gozo”.

With all of this in mind, Graffitti said it would be issuing a number of proposals the group would like see enshrined as legislation.

The proposals, will be drawn up with the public’s support and will be aimed at protecting the citizens of this country from “this prolonged assault on their standard of life”.

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