In a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, Mosta Mayor Chris Green said the the 12 mature Fiscus trees in the square will remain in place.

This follows a public outcry from not only Mosta residents, but also NGOs and activists, who camped out overnight to stop the trees being uprooted.

Even the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader requested the Council to listen to the people on the decision.

Green said that “the Mosta Square project was designed for the people and is being carried out for the people. Therefore I have no difficulty in considering the wishes of the people if these Ficus trees can be incorporated into the project.”

“For this purpose, I and my fellow Councillors of the Labour Party who are in the majority, have taken note of the desire that the trees that are currently in Pjazza Rotunda are not planted in another part of Mosta but remain there,” he said.

The Mayor added that Judas trees that were to be planted in the square will now be planted in the Santa Margerita area of Mosta, where the Ficus trees would have gone.

Moviment Graffitti, who had spearheaded the protest and meeting planned for this evening at 6.30pm, hailed it as a “great victory for the community, which one again showed that it can bring about change when it fights against those who want to walk over it.”

The meeting will still go ahead this evening in front of the Mosta Local Council to celebrate the victory, which it said was a collective effort for all.

Moviment Graffitti insisted that the Mayor and Council take responsibility for “the obscene decision” they had taken and which was only reversed thanks to the people’s resistance.

The activist group also asked for reform in the environmental authorities, especially the ERA, which are clearly not fulfilling their role of protecting the environment of our islands.

Photo: Moviment Graffitti

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