Moviment Grafitti, Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU), Extinction Rebellion Malta and other student organisations banded together on Friday afternoon to protest the “rampant commercialisation at the University of Malta”.

Last week, an announced increase in Campus Hub parking prices – from €2 to €12 – per day sparked outrage among university students. Campus Hub operators, the Vassallo Group, made a U-turn on the rate hike earlier this week, explaining the steep increase in parking fees had been a “mistake”. It later announced a daily €3 rate.

The student protest went ahead all the same on Friday afternoon, with representatives of participating organisations stressing “this is not just about parking”, but that the move was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

The organisations questioned how big businesses in the building, such as Starbucks and Burger King, are thriving while basic facilities for students and residents have been left to languish.

They also lambasted the “exorbitant prices” of accommodation being offered at Campus Hub, with its “shaky bunk beds” and “only two washing machines for all the residents”.

Law student Giuseppe Gatt said students are outraged that, “his land was irresponsibly given away by the university with the express intention of turning a profit of students”.

Extinction Rebellion Malta activist Zosia Stelmaszczyk recounted how developers had promised “lines of trees leading to campus”.

Standing next to a single mature palm tree, the activist said, “I see no trees, I see a glorified shopping mall”.

Moviment Graffitti’s Rafel Grima reiterated the NGOs firm stance against commercialisation at campus, saying the outrage about the steep increase in parking prices was merely “a symptom of the underlying problem”.