At a press conference held in Buskett this morning, Spring Hunting Out (SHout) campaigners outlined what they described as, “the catalogue of crimes by hunters against birds and innocent bystanders at the protected woodland over many years.”
“There is a long history of criminal violence against innocent people perpetrated by some hunters focused on Buskett. The most recent incident was on Sunday September 21st 2014 following a violent protest in Valletta after the closure of the hunting season by the Prime Minister,” the SHout campaigners said.
SHout Spokesperson Mark Sultana said, “thirteen people, including a seven year old child at Buskett, were attacked by a mob of thirty angry hunters. Stones were thrown, a camera was broken and an elderly gentleman sustained a broken jaw.”
He added that, in response to the demonstration, the FKNK hunters’ federation responded to the attack by stating that, “[it] understands the Maltese hunters’ frustration at being prevented from practising their hunting passions.”
Mark Sultana said, “This is the true face of FKNK. They effectively condone violence and they are bullies who have used intimidation to get their way for too long. No one should believe the faces and image of the IVA campaign. It is just a mask that the hunting community is trying to hide behind.”
“Buskett was also where there was an arson attack against three birdwatchers’ cars on Sunday February 17th 2008.” Mark Sultana said, “This was yet another dramatic incident in a catalogue of attacks on innocent people and their property. One of the people attacked last September remembered at the time that he was attacked in the same place by hunters on Independence Day twenty years earlier.”
Sultana stated, “Buskett is a bird sanctuary where hunting is forbidden, but this fact does not stop hunters from shooting birds there. Every spring and autumn, exhausted birds that are using the trees in Buskett to rest for the night on their long journeys between Africa and Europe are shot at. Buskett was the location of a massacre of rare eagles in 2013.”
Mark Sultana said, “The eagle massacre in 2013 is one of many incidents of illegal killing of birds carried out by hunters under the cover of the official hunting season. Voting ‘No’ in the referendum will make sure that this cannot happen in spring in future.”
Buskett is also the location where Archbishop Scicluna joined birdwatchers on Wednesday 24th September, a few days after the attack by hunters, to witness the miracle of migration, said Sultana.
At the time he said, “I encourage people to appreciate nature as God’s gift, take care of it and enjoy it so that the heritage of nature will continue in time.”
Sultana concluded by saying that, “Archbishop Scicluna has since declared his view that hunting should not take place in the breeding season, effectively endorsing the proposal to abolish spring hunting through a ‘No’ vote during the referendum.”