A public protest on Comino has been announced by Moviment Graffitti and will be held on Saturday, the 13th of August – Kemmuna ta’ Kulhadd – Reclaim Blue Lagoon.

Graffitti said that “as the Blue Lagoon continues to be hijacked by commercial interests that have transformed this beach into their private lido, we will free it up with the public’s participation and enjoy a day at the beach.”

The NGO advised that those interested in joining the protest should book their place on the boat via this registration form: www.comino.movimentgraffitti.org. Boats will depart to the Blue Lagoon from Cirkewwa (Malta) or Mgarr (Gozo) at 8am. There will be a number of return trips starting from noon. “Everyone is welcome to join the protest.”

Moviment Graffitti went on to say that it has been stressing that the reason for the “dire situation in Blue Lagoon is the intensive commercial interests that have taken over the beach.”

It explained that “this not only means the large amount of deckchairs and umbrellas, but also large boats (such as catamarans) that pour in hundreds of tourists and the exaggerated number of large kiosks that create unsustainable waste and noise.”

Moreover, Graffitti said, “in a more recent visit to Comino, we found that only the few deckchairs on the small sandy part of the beach had been removed, while the rest of the area – on the quay, the walkway, and the other small beach – was still covered in empty deckchairs and umbrellas from early morning.”

The activist group insisted that “we will not accept a situation where a few people with money and political influence snatch what rightfully belongs to the people. Neither will we accept that these companies continue with their destruction of a nature reserve for their private profits.”

It stressed that “the protest will reiterate our demands for immediate action to stop the damage being done to the Blue Lagoon and return the beach to the people.”

1. “Deckchairs and umbrellas are only set up at the request of a person physically present on the spot, and AT NO TIME should they occupy more than 30% of the entire area of the Blue Lagoon

2. Big boats which disembark hundreds of tourists at a time should be prohibited from Comino.

3. There should be a limit of two small kiosks, without music, in the Blue Lagoon.

4. There should be restrictions on the type and amount of waste generated, and this should be collected every day in the evening to avoid sustaining rats, which cause great damage to the natural environment.”

Photo: Moviment Graffitti

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