Activists Hold Sit-Down Protest Outside Castille Against Controversial Hunter’s Woodland Deal
A sit-down protest is currently taking place outside Castille Square in protest of a controversial government decision to hand over the management of the Miżieb and Aħrax woodland areas to hunters.
The protest was organised by a coalition of NGOs that form Spazji Miftuħa and has seen roughly 100 activists wearing masks and carrying signs and banners sit outside the Prime Minister’s office, all while respecting social distancing measures.
It comes just weeks after the government signed a controversial deal that handed over management of the woodland areas to the FKNK.
The three-year government deal gives priority access and maintenance rights to FKNK and forbids public access during specific times of day during the spring and autumn hunting seasons.
While the FKNK has promised that the public will still have access to public areas, protestors claim that public spaces should be accessible to everyone all year round and not just for hunters.
Following the controversial decision, a protest was initially held at Miżieb led by NGO BirdLife Malta.
Moreover, over 30,000 people have signed a petition calling for the land to remain public, while the Nationalist Party has denounced the government’s “arrogance” in signing the deal before it could get scrutinised.
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