‘It’s Not Right’: Strait Street Band Questions Valletta Deputy Mayor ‘Encouraging’ Residents To Take Law Into Own Hands
A band that suffered an aquatic attack as they were performing in Valletta’s Strait Street have wondered whether the aggressive behaviour is a result of Valletta Deputy Mayor Ray Azzopardi.
Memory Lane had a surprise whilst performing their regular weekend gig in Strait Street after a bucket of water was thrown towards them and soaked some of their audience.
The thing is, this comes right after Valletta Deputy Mayor Ray Azzopardi told residents to dump a bucket of water over inconsiderate bar patrons.
“We don’t want to cause any trouble but we need to known the ground rules,” musician Paul Vella told Lovin Malta. “We have been told that the law states that we can play till 1am in Valletta. This incident happened around midnight.”
“It’s not right that the deputy mayor is encouraging residents to take the law into their own hands,” continued Vella. “We play for Salinos Bar every weekend and we can’t risk our equipment getting wet. Who would pay for it? It’s worth thousands!”
Some Swedish tourists who were enjoying the gig were very upset when they unexpectedly got soaked as well.
A spokesperson for Azzopardi apparently told Vella that the comment about throwing a bucket of water had been made in a tongue-in-cheek manner and he hadn’t been serious.
But with residents’ now following Azzopardi’s questionable advice, musicians are now wondering – are they are risk of being attacked again, and will the deputy mayor defend the aggressors?
“All I want is to know where we stand and abide by the law while we earn a living,” Vella ended.
“And I would like to know if I need to bring umbrellas to the next gig!” he laughed.
What do you make of this conflict between Valletta residents and entertainers?
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