Moviment Graffitti has reiterated its support to the residents of Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa in their fight against the “university” extension that will rob the community of yet another open space. The extension of the AUM building is not only unnecessary, but is also another attempted daylight robbery at the expense of the residents of Cottonera.
Therefore, Moviment Graffitti will be attending and endorsing in full the resident-organised protest of this Sunday, 17th November, and encourages residents from all over Cottonera to rally in opposition to this project. Moviment Graffitti notes with interest that several politicians including Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and MP Glenn Bedingfield, elected from the second district, have already spoken out against this “unnecessary” extension which will have negative effects on the community of the Three Cities.
In the light of such staunch opposition – including that of hundreds of residents and of members from the three Local Councils, there is no reason why the PA board should approve this project, nor give the AUM further time to present new plans once this has already missed the deadlines given in the last sitting.
The proposed project will deny the community of an open space where residents gather every evening for a breath of fresh air, as well as cover the historical bastions that are a main feature of the whole Cottonera area. It is brutally ironic that the Cottonera region, which has borne the brunt of the World War II bombings, should lose part of its historical heritage, and indeed, a monument to the bravery of its people, to a speculative real estate project, since it has now become clear that the AUM project is dead in the water and is not attracting students “from all over the world” as had been promised in 2015.
We feel, therefore, that should the PA approve this extension it would be allowing yet another injustice towards the residents of Cottonera, and we promise them that even if this first battle were to be lost, we will stand by them and continue working with them, in any way possible, so that this monstrous project will never see the light.
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Appoġġ Sħiħ lir-Residenti tal-Kottonera fil-Ġlieda Kontra l-Estensjoni tal-AUM
Il-Moviment Graffitti jtenni l-appoġġ tiegħu lir-residenti tal-Isla, Bormla u l-Birgu fit-taqtigħa tagħhom kontra l-estensjoni tal-“Università” li se tisraq spazju miftuħ ieħor lill-komunità. L-estensjoni tal-binja tal-AUM mhux biss mhijiex neċessarja, iżda hija attentat ta’ serq fid-dawl tax-xemx għas-skapitu tan-nies tal-Kottonera.
Huwa b’hekk li l-Moviment bi ħsiebu jattendi u jappoġġja bis-sħiħ il-protesta tar-residenti li ġiet imsejħa għal nhar il-Ħadd, 17 ta’ Novembru, u jħeġġeġ lir-residenti mill-Kottonera kollha joħorġu jsemmgħu leħenhom kontra dan il-proġett. Il-Moviment Graffitti jinnota wkoll li bosta esponenti politiċi fosthom il-Ministru tal-Edukazzjoni Evarist Bartolo, kif ukoll il-Membru Parlamentari elett mit-Tieni Distrett, Glenn Bedingfield, diġà enfasizzaw li din l-espansjoni mhijiex meħtieġa u se jkollha effetti negattivi fuq il-komunità tal-Kottonera.
Fid-dawl ta’ tant oppożizzjoni – inkluża dik ta’ mijiet ta’ residenti u anke ta’ membri mit-tliet Kunsilli Lokali – ma hemm ebda raġuni għalfejn il-Bord tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar għandu jagħti l-approvazzjoni tiegħu għal dan il-proġett, u wisq inqas jerġa’ jagħti aktar żmien lill-AUM ladarba din ma ppreżentat ebda pjanti ġodda wara li qabżet l-iskadenza mogħtija fis-seduta li għaddiet.
Il-proġett propost se jċaħħad lill-komunità minn post fejn ir-residenti jinġabru filgħaxijiet għal ftit arja, kif ukoll żona ta’ parkeġġ, u se jgħatti wkoll is-swar storiċi li jikkaratterizzaw iż-żona kollha tal-Kottonera. Hija tassew ironija kerha li t-Tlett Ibliet, li tant batew fis-snin tat-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija, għandhom jitilfu parti mill-wirt storiku tagħhom – u tifkira tal-qlubija ta’ nieshom – minħabba dik li hija spekulazzjoni għall-finijiet ta’ proprjetà, ladarba jidher ċar li l-proġett tal-AUM huwa fallut u mhux jiġbed lejh l-istudenti “mid-dinja kollha” kif kien imwiegħed fl-2015.
Inħossu li jekk il-PA tagħti l-approvazzjoni tagħha għall-estensjoni tkun qed tippermetti inġustizzja kbira fil-konfront tar-residenti, u għaldaqstant inwiegħdu lir-residenti li anke jekk tintilef din l-ewwel battalja, se nibqgħu naħdmu u nikkollaboraw magħhom b’kull mod possibbli sabiex dan il-mostru ma jarax id-dawl.
