Environmental Activist Spends The Night Camped Outside Parliament

Environmental activists have set up a campsite outside Malta’s Parliament in Valletta, calling on the government to permanently withdraw two controversial planning reform bills and a related legal notice.

The protesters, who arrived unannounced on Sunday morning, quickly erected around two dozen tents and chained them together. They say they intend to remain in place for several days.

Moviment Graffitti, which is leading the action, said on Monday morning, “We woke up in front of Parliament for the second day of Camp Justice for Our Land.”

The protest coincides with Monday’s budget speech one of the busiest sittings of the year and forms part of the ongoing Ġustizzja għal Artna (Justice for Our Land) campaign, which has been opposing Bills 143 and 144 since July.

Activists argue that the proposed reforms would weaken environmental safeguards and hand more power to developers, while the government insists the changes are meant to streamline planning processes and strengthen enforcement.

The campsite is meant as a visible act of pressure ahead of a larger demonstration planned for Monday evening. The protest, organised by Moviment Graffitti together with several environmental and heritage NGOs, will start at the Law Courts and proceed towards Parliament.

Groups including BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa and Friends of the Earth Malta have previously opposed the proposed laws, saying they would weaken public rights and environmental protection across the country.

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