The University of Malta has defended security guards who stopped students from wearing a mask depicting a minister on campus, saying Freshers' week "is not the appropriate platform to voice any form of protest". 

The defence came hours after activist group Moviment Graffitti said that its members had been ordered to hand over a mask of Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg. 

Security guards reportedly told the young activists - who were dressed as a tower and wearing masks depicting Dr Borg and Malta Developers' Association president Sandro Chetcuti - that they were not allowed to have "political protests on campus". 

The activists were on campus to recruit University students to sign up as Moviment Graffitti members, as part of Freshers' week activities. 

“We weren’t doing anything wrong,” one member of Moviment Graffitti told Times of Malta.

A member of Moviment Graffitti dressed as a tower and wearing a mask of Malta Developers Association chair Sandro Chetcuti. Photo: Moviment Graffitti

“While two members of the group manned the stand, me and another member of the group walked around campus with our cardboard [tower] and masks to speak to students.

"We were then approached by two security guards who told us to hand over the mask of Ian Borg and took it from us. When we asked why, they said it was because we were not allowed to have political messages on campus, and it was none of our business.”

A status update on the Moviment Graffitti Facebook page reacting to the confiscation said: “This "security" personnel has also refused to tell us on whose orders they were acting. It is a sad irony that a University of Malta acts as a censor and tries to stifle any form of debate. It is perhaps the University's way of showing its servilism to the commercial interests that fund an event such as Freshers' Week. We will not be intimidated by such tactics, and we demand the immediate return of our material.”

University defends action

The University of Malta defended security guards' decision to confiscate the mask.

"Freshers’ week reaches out to thousands of students and is visited by various dignitaries.

"The UM feels that this event is not the appropriate platform to voice any form of protest," the university said in a statement. 

A guard only intervened once the mask-wearing activist "mingled with students visiting other stands," the university added. 

When that happened, the guard intervened because he was "concerned that the matter might provoke a reaction and escalate". 

Moviment Graffitti's history

Moviment Graffitti claims to be the oldest activist group of its kind at the University of Malta, having been founded 25 years ago.

In the past its members have campaigned for a higher minimum wage, rent regulation as well as for the rights of migrants. They say they will not back down and are determined to continue to have their stand on campus for the rest of Freshers' week.

“We will definitely be there all week," one of the members said.

"I don’t see anything wrong with what we are doing. University authorities can’t say we shouldn’t discuss politics on campus, when politicians have visited the University in the past.” 

Lecturer slams University

Arnold Cassola, a Professor in Comparative Literature at the University of Malta, said he had written to its rector Professor Alfred J. Vella expressing concern.

Mr Cassola said it would be "very serious" if the University was censoring political messages. 

"I hope that this was just an invention of the security guards because otherwise we really have been reduced to nursery school" the former Alternattiva Demokratika leader said.

"I expect that if it was an individual initiative of a security guard, (Moviment) Graffiti be given an apology."