Carrying flares and spray paint, Moviment Graffitti activists descended on a swimming pool built illegally in the Qala countryside on Saturday. Their mission was simple: to highlight the “rigged system” planners were perpetuating to help developers exploit planning loopholes. Led by a megaphone-carrying leader, activists chanted “ [From Qala to Sannat, laws are for the Gods] and [You dance to the tune of developers] as they marched to the back of the apartment complex.
They then walked into the empty pool, spray cans in hand, and sprayed the word ‘Illegali’ [Illegal] in bright red paint on the pool’s floor. Their activity was interrupted by police officers who reached the scene and ordered activists to leave the scene. “No police came when this swimming pool was being built illegally,” Moviment Graffitti Andre Callus told an inspector.
“So this is vandalism. But destroying the countryside without a permit is not?” When police threatened to arrest them, activists sat down and continued to chant. The demonstration was ongoing at the time of writing.
The swimming pool is one of two built by Gozitan mega-developer Joseph Portelli some years ago, as part of a massive apartment complex. Portelli excavated the pool site without a permit. Despite having breached the law, the Planning Authority and its appeals tribunal, the EPRT, both approved the ODZ development.
Objectors persisted and in March, a court revoked the permit the PA had granted Portelli. But by then .
