Opinion: This Is The Real Question We Should Ask About Sliema Fight Club
Sliema’s local council has announced that more police officers will patrol the streets in reaction to a sudden rise of menacing “youth gangs” that are plaguing the seaside town. While residents and businesses may wipe their collective brow in relief, it seems like a clear case of treating the symptoms and not the cause.
This is not the first time Sliema has seen youth gangs. Here, we are failing to ask the underlying question: Why are youth gangs becoming a thing?
An answer could be Malta’s lack of open, free spaces for young people.
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Most young people get their first taste of independence, that is meeting up with their friends alone, at the age of 11 or 12. So where are the safe, free, open spaces these kids can go to?
In Sliema, two malls are often frequented by kids: The Point and the Plaza. The latter is found on Bisazza Street, where the so-called Sliema youth gangs were filmed in a scene that could be pulled straight from a bootleg Maltese Fight Club.
However, these malls require you to spend money, unless you plan on walking around for hours without sitting down. They also close early, by 10pm latest.
In terms of natural open spaces, the islands are starved of parks or green squares that are not surrounded by traffic. Malta’s golden beaches are sublime facets of the Mediterranean country but they aren’t that accessible in the winter months.
Then there are youth clubs, of which there are plenty: Catholic youth clubs like the popular Y4J, scouts, sports groups, dance schools and music groups. Unfortunately, the primary goal of these groups is not to hang out; it’s to perform a particular hobby or promote a cause, so these cannot count as places to simply be with your friends.
This lack of free open places for young people is a main driving force for them to frequent the alcohol-and-drug-fuelled, club-filled town of Paceville or the streets of Valletta, some from as young as 13 years old.
Having open spaces (that are also green and free) is not just great for the environment, it is a physical chance for communities to mingle, for young people to hang out with their friends in places that are not… a main street in Sliema.
Open spaces are a human right – let’s start treating them that way.
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