On Saturday 16 August my partner, daughter and I caught a bus to Golden Bay, Ghajn Tuffieha, to camp there overnight. Around 7pm, when the bus service ended, a park ranger from the Gaia Foundation and a policeman approached us to let us know there is a law which does not allow camping overnight on the beach.
The law referred to was not quoted to us and no reference to where the law can be found was given. Nor is there any sign on the beach or in the vicinity of the beach saying no camping is allowed. There are a few anomalies regarding this.
In Golden Bay there are often private activities going on: for example, beach volleyball and other beach sports, in which the public citizen is not allowed to participate because they are set up and organized for a selected few, albeit taking up public space.
We acknowledge that it may be likely that such activities have a permit and the organisers possibly paid for taking up the space. However, this remains a public beach being taken up for a selected few to enjoy.
Other anomalies present at Golden Bay are the number of permanent commercial activities set up occupying even more s pace on a public beach and taking revenue from said commercial activities, namely: two kiosks selling food and beverages, a hut renting deck chairs and umbrellas (unrelated to the hotel close by), an area where it seems that the hotel close by has set up deck chairs and umbrellas for its patrons and an area cordoned off for water sports related equipment.
The list of commercial activities here illustrates that many patches of public space at Ghajn Tuffieha are taken up permanently and the authorities close an eye or maybe two to these permanent commercial activities on a public beach.
The public citizen looking for an overnight stay in a mobile small tent is being picked on as a culprit or even law-breaker! At this stage, I cannot help but wonder: is the public citizen looking for an overnight stay on the beach the major anomaly?
We believe that the law was drawn up at a time when the present anomalies did not exist. In view of the present anomalies picking on the public citizen setting up a tent is a moral offence and puzzling at least.
 
David Pisani
Sliema