Updated 7.30pm

Activists protesting the removal of mature trees in Mosta square were manhandled and one was handcuffed by police officers on Tuesday afternoon.

Officers dragged protesters away from the area, pushed them to the ground and handcuffed them as they sought to put up a fence around the trees. 

“They are basically arresting us for remaining here peacefully,” an unseen person could be heard saying on a Moviment Graffitti livestream.  “We are going to remain here and we will not let them work. We aren’t stupid, we know why they want to close off the trees and the diggers from the public eye.” 

The police action appeared to backfire, with the small crowd growing in number as news of the manhandling spread.

By 5.30pm, around 30 people had gathered in the square around the trees.  

Activist leader and Mosta resident Andre Callus, who was dragged, handcuffed and carried away by two police officers, returned to the crowd, uncuffed and alone, roughly 30 minutes later. 

Callus told journalists that police officers were not the problem and that activists' issue was with the Mosta local council and Environment and Resources Authority, which approved the council's application to remove the mature trees. 

He later thanked well-wishers for their support and urged them to keep their focus on stopping the uprooting of the trees, which he blamed on Mosta's "rude and arrogant mayor".

Resident Francis Callus told Times of Malta he felt "sad and bullied". 

“This was a surprise for us, we never thought something like this would happen. I can’t see a reason behind it.”

“It is a show of power,” Luis Vella said, a Mosta resident, echoing the thoughts of the protesters.

Preparing to stay the night, activists brought two tents and a table.  Around 10 people will be spending the night onsite, Graffitti member Claria Cutajar told Times of Malta. 

As dusk fell, birds showed up above the bare trees, repeating Monday night’s search for a spot to roost. 

Home Affairs Minister: Right to peaceful protest is sacrosanct

The police's heavy-handed approach drew condemnation from the Opposition and civil society. 

"Those who protest to protect trees are arrested, while those who stole millions remain free," PN leader Bernard Grech wrote. 

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri stopped short of defending the police action. "Let me be clear," he wrote on social media. "People have the right to protest peacefully, and nobody, not even the police, can impinge on this right." 

The Malta LGBTIQ Rights Association (MGRM) said it would be suspending all meetings with government MPs and withdraw from the state-led LGBTIQ Consultative Council as a result of the incident.

“This blatant disregard towards the environment, rule of law, and the role of activists and NGOs in a democratic society has now reached a breaking point,” MGRM said.

“We will revisit this position if we receive a formal apology for this incident and if we receive reassurance that the trees will remain in place.”

Prime Minister: Nothing wrong if councillors reconsider

Speaking later on Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela encouraged Mosta local councillors to make a greater effort to communicate with residents and be open to changing their minds. 

"They should hear people out, explain themselves and then reevaluate things after taking everything into consideration," he said. “I have full faith in Labour and Nationalist councillors to reach a final, sensible decision."

Transplanting outrage

The police action comes ahead of a plan to move 12 mature Ficus trees away from the square and transplant them to another area in Mosta, to the dismay of residents and environmentalists. 

A public uproar erupted after the trees were aggressively pruned on Monday, ahead of their planned transplanting to another part of Mosta.

On Tuesday morning, activists turned up to the site, blocking diggers and excavators and preventing workers from uprooting the trees as planned. 

Architects distance themselves from decision

Mosta councillors unanimously agreed to transplant the trees and replace them with indigenous ones at a meeting held on October 3 and subsequently applied for a permit to do so.  

The project is being financed by Transport Malta. 

While 2018 regulations state that Ficus trees are protected when located in urban public areas, the ERA found no objection to the council's application and approved it on October 31. 

An ERA case officer's report states that the council wanted to transplant the trees "to improve the overall design of the square".

But the architects responsible for designing the square's renovation, Studjurban, have completely dissociated themselves from the decision to transplant the trees.  

Junior Minister defends transplanting

Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, who is politically responsible for ERA, said the preference was "always" to incorporate existing trees. 

"I'm not happy to see trees being removed," she said. The minister did not explain why ERA had chosen to approve the transplanting of the Ficus trees, which she described as an "alien" species. 

Alison Zerafa Civelli, the junior minister responsible for local councils, defended the Mosta council. 

"There's a plan to relocate the trees, which will be replaced with others. The council consulted, agreed and got the necessary permits. The council is doing these works for the benefit of residents and the locality," she said as she entered parliament. 

Labour MP and Mosta resident Alex Muscat sought to discredit activists, saying the protest appeared to be "politically motivated", but acknowledged that police had been heavy-handed. 

Other Labour politicians were less enthusiastic about the council's plans. 

Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer came out in favour of the protest, and so did his partner and Labour Party CEO and MP Randolph Debattista. 

"I'm advised to bite my tongue now that I'm in politics," Debattista said. "I will ignore them. Solidarity with Andre Callus!" he wrote. 

European Parliament President and PN MEP Roberta Metsola said the heavy-handed police response suggested the government "has lost all control". 

"The Labour Party's fight against trees has now taken a harsher turn," she said. 

Concerns about wildlife

BirdLife Malta has argued that the aggressive pruning and transplanting harms bird species, as at this time of year White Wagtails (Zakak Abjad), Common Starlings (Sturnell) and Spanish Sparrows (Għasfur tal-Bejt) seek shelter in the trees at night as they roost together for safety. 

However, the Environmental Resources Authority said that ficus trees usually survive transplanting and this was the best time for them to be relocated. The environmental watchdog also noted that removing the canopy and the smaller branches ensured the trees' survival during transplanting