There is such a lack of environmental enforcement that activists are becoming increasingly forced to take matters into their own hands by means of direct actions like the one on Comino, Andre Callus told Times of Malta in an interview.

The 35-year-old activist sat down to talk activism and politics a few days after Moviment Graffitti landed on the small island and removed the deckchairs and umbrellas in protest against the rampant commercialisation of Blue Lagoon.

“Politicians frequently ask us to go to countless meetings with them. It’s all blah blah blah and nothing gets done,” said the NGO's de factor leader.

“They only take issues seriously when they feel that large numbers of angry people are rallying for a cause. It is only then that discussions with politicians become fruitful.”

The interview was filmed on an early weekday morning, on Manoel Island, where in 2016 Callus and other Graffitti activists cut through the gates and fences in a protest demanding public access to the shore.

During the 10-minute walk from the once-barred gate to the shore overlooking Valletta, a few joggers could be seen along the rugged pathways. One man, walking his dog, was delighted to see Callus.

“Well done for what you did on Comino my friend! I admire you so much. Keep going at it because that is what we need,” he told Callus as if he had known him for years.

“Thank you very much,” Callus answered humbly, still holding one of the camera tripods on his shoulder after insisting on helping to carry some of the equipment from the car to the filming location.

“We knew people were angry when we staged the direct action on Comino, but we had no idea they would appreciate it and welcome it with such fervour,” Callus said.

“People are angry, and not just about Comino. Comino represents a much larger, nationwide frustration with political systems that don’t work for the common good.”

He did not rule out the possibility that tourism authority officials were scheduled to go down to Comino on the same day that Graffitti were there, as claimed, but even if they were, it would have hardly been enough.

“The problem there is not just the deckchairs and umbrellas. There has been a huge, environmentally detrimental web of commercial activity which is ruining the island’s natural beauty and disturbing a sensitive Natura 2000 site that the authorities themselves had vowed to protect.”

Comino, he said, is not suitable to become an entertainment hub.

“Big catamarans unload hundreds of tourists at one go and six enormous kiosks sell alcohol in pineapples which are then discarded for kilometres on end all around the island. Not to mention the straws and cups littering everywhere and attracting rat infestations.

“Sending some MTA officials to remove a few deckchairs and umbrellas is not enough.”

Last week, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced a ban on sunbeds on the sandy beach in Blue Lagoon and restricted their number on the quay, instructing operators not to lay them out unless the visitors ask to rent them. 

Callus said Graffitti would continue to monitor the situation to ensure the regulations result in significant, tangible change for the common good.

Callus said activists would inevitably have to employ drastic direct action and, in some cases, take enforcement in their own hands, as they did at Manoel Island and Comino, because the people with the money were influencing politicians into taking decisions that only served their interests.

“They work subtly from behind the scenes and politicians often succumb to their influence. But by standing up and rallying angrily for a good cause, people have the power to rebalance that influence,” he said, adding that this was also very evident at the Planning Authority.

“Without shame, [developer] Joseph Portelli acquired a permit to build a pool, not just on ODZ, but in a valley. A valley that, mind you, had already been excavated to serve his same project. And politicians allow him to continue doing what he wants.”

Earlier this month, the Church’s environment commission made a similar argument, saying “enhanced militancy” from environmental groups, residents and councils may be the only way to save Malta’s land from overdevelopment.

In a statement calling for the protection of agricultural land and open spaces, it blamed the lack of political will to change policies that were designed to “serve narrow interests” rather than the common good.

During his interview, Callus also hit out at the government’s urban greening efforts, saying it makes no sense to build gardens while destroying the natural environment elsewhere.

"My mother and father were nothing like this, but they taught me to notice an injustice when I see one."- Andre Callus

Reacting to accusations that he is a “sour Nationalist”, Callus said he was nothing of the sort – he became an activist 16 years ago and many of his fights since were under a PN government.

He has never considered running for political office because he values the effectiveness of Graffitti’s activism as a political action in itself. 

Graffitti is growing rapidly. Activism would always be needed and the fight is endless, but that should not discourage people from standing up, he said.

“Disheartenment is activism’s worst enemy. We will never solve all the problems, but with persistence, we can always improve slowly, but surely.

“And not all is bad. We have very good, free education and healthcare systems and workers’ rights. But those were also the result of fervent activism over the years. They were also struggles that had to be fought for and they were also met with a lot of resistance from people who had other interests.

“So yes, there is hope, unless we do not lose heart.”

Callus also has a seven-year-old daughter who tags along with him to protests, including the one in Comino, and has become very accustomed to the drill.

“My mother and father were nothing like this, but they taught me to notice an injustice when I see one, feel it and never accept it. And that is what I want to pass on to my daughter.”