Protestors organise sit-in in objection to FKNK woodland handover

An estimated 100 people attended a sit-in at Miżieb to protest against the government handover of woodland to FKNK.

BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana gave a short speech at the sit-in, condemning the government's decision to sign the agreement behind closed doors.

"What happened is unfair. Who goes signing an agreement that was supposed to be signed today, two days before and behind closed doors?" Sultana remarked.

The agreement was scheduled to be signed today, but was instead moved ahead to last Friday after word spread of a demonstration. 

Despite the agreement carried out at an earlier date, organisers went on with the protest where the signing was expected to take place.

Sultana appealed for attendees to become members with NGOs to help support the cause. "The hunting lobby is strong because they are members in an organisation," he said. 

"It is high time to show politicians that in our country there aren't only hunters or people who want to make money off of the land. There are people like you and me who want to enjoy nature, which is the only thing you can do without paying money," he said.

The controversial agreement between hunting lobby FKNK and government will see large areas of Miżieb and Aħrax closed off to the public during the spring and autumn hunting seasons.

FKNK will have free reign in drawing up the project plan delineating the site, allowing the lobby to pick which areas will be accessible to the public or not. 

The agreement garnered more controversy after the signing took place behind closed doors without informing the press.

Statement by Spazji Miftuħa

NGO-coalition Spazji Miftuħa announced during the protest and in an official statement that preparations are already underway for a future event to protest the deal. 

"The management agreement was supposed to have been formally signed at that time, with invitations already sent out, but the public outrage that ensued as soon as the news came out led to the Government to secretly sign the deal behind closed doors, in the absence of the media, two days before it was scheduled," the statement read.

Spazji Miftuħa had spearheaded the campaign to keep Miżieb and Aħrax available to the public, having set up an online petition and survey to allow people to voice their concerns