A heated protest at Tal-Magħluq area in Marsaxlokk turned ugly yesterday afternoon when four men set upon a protester aggrieved by illegal campers in the area.

This area is being taken over by a community which is ready to resort to bullying

Aggressors circled Christopher Abel, 33, a resident of Marsaxlokk, and hit him a number of times in the face, chest and back before he wriggled free and ran away, only for one of his attackers to give chase.

Calm was eventually restored, as protest organiser Leslie Pavia broke things up and onlookers called the police.

The four bare-chested men soon disappeared into a sea of tents.

The police arrived 20 minutes later and after a brief, unsuccessful attempt at identifying the assailants, informed media camera crews they would be requesting footage of the disturbance.

Protesters had assembled to complain about the dozens of impromptu camps lining the shoreline. Campers, they argued, had no toilet facilities, left litter and often intimidated beachgoers.

Some of those camping insisted that they never left any rubbish lying around and used a nearby public convenience when nature called. One angry man yelled: “I pay my taxes. I can do what I like.”

It would appear that the campsite’s days are numbered, with a spokesman confirming that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had last Saturday issued an enforcement notice to clear the area.

But word of the enforcement notice had not filtered through to protesters or campers yesterday and, as they argued, all semblance of order disappeared, replaced by a series of furious micro-squabbles and angry exchanges.

Things boiled over with the assault on Mr Abel, who had been arguing with the men about a series of thefts from nearby boats.

Mr Abel alleged that some of the campers were responsible for the thefts. Vandals had cut his boat’s ropes and stolen batteries and other items, he said.

Marsaxlokk mayor Edrick Micallef also attended the protest, although he made it clear that the local council had nothing to do with it.

Nevertheless, he sympathised with protesters and said that the local council had proposed two bye-laws which, if approved by the authorities, would empower the council to report illegal campsites to the police directly.

In the aftermath of the assault on Mr Abel, Mr Micallef was even more sympathetic. “It’s clear that this area is being taken over by a community which is ready to resort to bullying to keep others out,” the mayor said.

Camps varied in complexity, from rudimentary two-person tents to elaborate set-ups replete with water tanks, personal shower and makeshift toilet facilities.

Just past the tents, along the sea edge, day swimmers sat on their towels, glancing fitfully at the darkening August sky.

One camper, Joseph Bezzina, insisted that the protesters had the wrong intentions. “If it were up to them, the beach would be reserved for Marsaxlokk locals. But we clean any litter we find, share our shade with others and don’t disturb anyone. It’s just envy.”

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