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Malta’s National Protest Against The Construction Industry Is Happening This Saturday: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

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People’s frustrations at the never-ending construction boom and its environmental consequences have reached a fever pitch, with a national protest taking place this weekend to tell the government that “enough is enough”.

With the demonstration looking like it could be the start of a proper sustained movement, here’s everything you need to know:

1. When and where is it taking place?

The protest kicks off at 10:00 am this Saturday 7th September in front of the law courts in Valletta

2. Who is taking part?

Led by Moviment Graffitti, 60 different activist groups are joining the protest, none of whom have any affiliation with political parties.

All members of the public are invited to take part.

The groups have long made it clear that the national protest will be free of any partisan politics, telling all members of parliament that they are not welcome at the demonstration.

“We believe that together we can change this situation and fight the excessive power of the few who treat Malta as their own patch of land through which they can speculate and make profits,” a website dedicated to the protest reads.

3. Why is it happening?

Patience with years of overdevelopment came to a grinding halt after three buildings collapsed in under the space of two months. A protest attended by hundreds of people was called in solidarity for the scores of families and people who have been made effectively homeless by haphazard development.

A second protest over the construction of the Central Link project saw over 1,000 people attend.

The government suspended all construction and scrambled to introduce legislation that provided some sort of security to third-parties.

However, groups argue this falls far short of the widespread change that needs to take place, with agricultural land, homes of historical values, urban areas, and ultimately our livelihood paying the price of the construction boom.

With the Planning Authority issuing a record-high 12,885 permits for new developments in 2018, it’s easy to see why, with dust, noise, waste, and injuries becoming a daily reality.

The initiatives put forward by the government and the Malta Developer’s Association’s, ring somewhat hollow, given that in the years leading up to the mass protests, both the state and the lobby group dismissed concerns as being “negative” or “anti-progress”.

4. What are the groups calling for?

There are seven key demands for the protest:

1. Policies which allow the construction of villas, fuel stations, or hotels in ODZ should be revoked. As well as the high-rise policy.

2. The authorities responsible for environment and planning must be reformed, namely a “profound change” in the composition of boards and the election of their members.

3. A moratorium on large-scale projects until a comprehensive plan for development is introduced.

4. Capping the number of development permits issued every year.

5. A serious drive to improve enforcement.

6. For the government to work on a strategy that addresses traffic and pollution through alternative modes of transport, rather than widening roads at the expense of trees and arable land.

7. To truly make the environment a priority by safeguarding open spaces in urban areas, strengthening natural habitats, and committing to emission reduction targets.

READ NEXT: Enough Is Enough: Here Are 5 Reasons You Have To Attend Next Saturday’s National Protest Against The Construction Industry

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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