In recent years, Malta has witnessed a growing trend of student activism, particularly in response to issues such as climate change and political corruption. While it is certainly commendable to see young people taking an active interest in their community and standing up for their beliefs, there is a danger of short-sightedness in the approach to activism that has been adopted by many Maltese activists.
One of the main problems with student activism in Malta is that it often lacks a long-term perspective. Students may be motivated by a specific issue or incident but fail to consider the broader implications. This can lead to a lack of strategic planning and a failure to build lasting networks and coalitions that can affect real change over time. Another issue is the tendency to focus solely on symbolic gestures and symbolic victories rather than practical solutions. While symbolic gestures can be important in raising awareness and generating media attention, they are rarely sufficient on their own to bring about lasting change. Students must be willing to engage in more complex and long-term strategies, such as lobbying, grassroots organizing, and coalition building, in order to achieve real progress.
I can think of a number of examples of student-led movements that were sparked by a particular incident of injustice, that then quickly faded into oblivion once the hype died down. The first one that comes to mind is the ‘For Our Trees’ movement in 2019. This movement came about after it was revealed that the government would be uprooting a number of old trees in order to complete the Central Link project in Attard. A protest was organised that was met with an impressive turnout and a lot of media attention. A Facebook page was created that garnered over 3k likes.
But once the protest was over and the media turned its attention to the next breaking news item, the movement died. No subsequent protests were organised and the government uprooted the trees as planned.
A more recent example is that of the ‘Students Over Profit’ protest against the commercialisation of Campus Hub. I was sceptical of this protest for a number of reasons, the biggest one being that the students’ anger was sparked by a rise in parking prices, and given the huge problem we have in Malta with regards to traffic and environmental degradation, I don’t see a disincentive to driving cars as a necessarily bad thing. Also, there are plenty of places to park just outside university, and I know this because I park in San Gwann every day without issue. Seriously guys, just park outside uni and walk for 5 minutes. It’s not the end of the world.
Parking issue aside, the students that organised the protest claimed that they were doing so in opposition to the rampant commercialisation that has been brought about by Campus Hub. Okay, fine – I agree that such commercialisation and greed needs to be addressed. But I had a gut feeling that once the protest was over, the students would forget about it and continue to purchase their Starbucks and Burger King in between lectures. And I was right.
If the students organising the protest truly wished to make change, they would have ended the protest by calling for a boycott of the establishment. But they didn’t do that. They put down their placards, congratulated themselves for the media attention that they garnered, and within a week they were back to shopping at Welbee’s.
How can we complain that the authorities don’t take us seriously, when the only effort we are putting in is a symbolic one-time protest that the authorities themselves are well aware will blow over within a week?
I don’t want it to seem like I’m disregarding the effort that student activists put into their work. After all, going out to protest and getting your message out there is the first step, and these students have done a good job at that. But doing that and stopping there is unfortunately no good in making real change.
While student activism in Malta can be a powerful force for positive change, it is important for students to adopt a more long-term, strategic, and inclusive approach to their activism. This means focusing on practical solutions rather than just symbolic gestures, building lasting networks and coalitions, engaging with the wider community, and developing strong and consistent leadership. By doing so, students can help to build a more just and equitable society for all.
This article was written by an independent writer whose views are not associated with The Third Eye. The Third Eye strives to be the student’s voice, and that entails giving them a platform to voice their opinions.