Police are set to charge the owner of an illegal St Peter’s Pool food kiosk. This action follows violent altercations between the kiosk’s owner and tourists who visited and were thrown out.

In recent days, social media has been flooded with videos showing a food stall owner at St Peter’s Pool in Delimara in an argument with tourists. In the videos, the man can be seen forcing tourists out of the area and allegedly throwing stones at them. The tourists were also seen dodging the stones to avoid injury. The footage has sparked outrage and concern for the safety of visitors to this particular bay.

The food establishment was allegedly operating without a license from the relevant authorities and had no permits from the Planning Authority nor a sanitation permit. Without these, he would not have been able to obtain approval from the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) to operate a food business.

A police spokesperson said that inspections were carried out on the premises and the necessary legal steps were taken. Following these inspections, the establishment ceased operations and is now closed.

The spokesperson added that the police are in contact with other entities, including the MTA, which is responsible for issuing permits for food establishments.

Despite the viral nature of the videos and public reaction, the police confirmed that no formal report was submitted.

Three videos show the owner’s aggressive behaviour. One shows him pulling a chair from under a young person while using offensive language and forcing them out of the area. Two other videos show him expelling tourists and allegedly throwing stones at them.

Times of Malta also reported a separate incident involving the same owner. Two tourists claimed that the man pointed a gun at them after discovering that the tires of their car had been slashed.