All’s well on All Hallows Eve

Swieqi mayor Carmen Said told MaltaToday that no complaints have been reported so far. “If we haven’t received any complaints yet I think it is safe to say that all was quiet last night and over the weekend and no damage was done to the area of Swieqi.”

However, the local council took extra precautions and added extra police patrols to the area from Friday. “As Halloween was just after the weekend we predicted that children may have gone trick or treating at the weekend so we played it safe and had extra patrols.”

Though Said said that some children did go “trick or treating”, most were young children who did not cause any trouble.

The St Julian’s Police confirmed that no reports had been made.

In the past Swieqi has been the target for young teenagers causing mischief on the night of Halloween. Egg-throwing and damage to property has been reported in the past with concern expressed by Swieqi residents over the safety of their properties.

Balzan was also quiet both last night and over the weekend. Balzan mayor John Zammit Montebello saying that “no mischief was reported” and that yesterday was just a quiet ordinary night.

Residents of Balzan and the surrounding areas of Attard were recipients of a warning by the Balzan Parish Church earlier last week, which apprised parents of the dangers of allowing their children to partake in Halloween celebrations, even if it is just harmless dressing up in costumes and going out trick or treating.

The letter stated that Halloween traditions instils in children a culture of death and fear and could open doors leading to participation in “satanic rituals, sadism, violence, torture, mutilation and violent murder.”