New Publication: Protests against Overtourism across Europe and EU Policy Response

New Publication! Protests against Overtourism across Europe and EU Policy Response - Co-authored with Karl Agius

This chapter analyses protests against overtourism across Europe in 2024 using Protest Event Analysis of media reports. It identifies key protest locations, actors and grievances—especially housing pressures and declining quality of life—and examines how EU institutions respond, highlighting policy efforts aimed at managing tourism flows and promoting more sustainable, “balanced” tourism.

You can access the paper here.

Citation:

Agius, Karl & Briguglio, Michael (2026): Protests against Overtourism across Europe and EU Policy Response, in Briguglio L., Avellino M., and Butcher, J. (Eds) Overtourism in Cities and Small Islands (Routledge), pp. 120-134 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003609940-11

Open Access Publication about Protests in the Second Year of Covid-19 - the case of Malta

My latest peer-reviewed publication Protests in the Second Year of covid-19 – the Case of Malta has been published in the academic journal 'Protest' (Brill).

The paper is available here. 

This study analyses protests in Malta during 2021 (N = 94) and compares them to those in 2020 (N = 74). Malta’s protest dynamics are analysed within the theoretical frameworks of political opportunity structures and small-state studies, while also drawing on scholarship on protest and social movements during the covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, the environment was the most prominent issue, followed by Daphne Caruana Galizia and covid-scepticism, respectively. During 2021 there was a spike in protests (mostly sceptical) dealing directly with the Pandemic and its policy ramifications. The most prominent organizers of protest events were Repubblika and their affiliates, especially in relation to Daphne Caruana Galizia, and Moviment Graffitti, primarily on the environment. The demonstration was the most popular type of protest repertoire, but other repertoires were also used. Valletta was the most popular venue for protest events.

Citation: Briguglio, M. (2025). Protests in the Second Year of covid-19 – the Case of Malta. Protest, 5(1), 27-55. https://doi.org/10.1163/2667372X-bja10076

Image: The Malta Independent