A small group of youths from Moviment Graffitti and Alternattiva Demokratika Zaghazagh this afternoon held a demonstration outside the Corinthia San Gorg Hotel calling for real action to counter climate change.

The protest was being held to coincide with the first session of a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, which is being held at the hotel.

The conference is discussing the effects of climate change but a spokesman for Graffitti said the youths wanted real action to prevent climate change, rather than to react to it. He said that 10 years after the Kyoto Treaty, no real, effective action had been taken, and they feared that the forthcoming Copenhagen conference would end up with the same result.

Those taking part in the protest, about 15, were dressed in black and wore dust masks. They carried a cardboard coffin and a banner saying : Less Talk, More Action.

Hotel security headed by former Police Commissioner George Grech asked the youths to move away from the hotel entrance but they refused, insisting they had a right to protest. Mr Grech said that was private property and residents were being disturbed. Furthermore, they had made their point.

The youths, however, stayed put and a press conference was held.

When the police arrived and asked the youths to move, a second press conference, a repetition of the first, was held as policemen carried the 'coffin' away. The youths then moved outside the hotel precincts without further incident.