Santa Marija festivities in Victoria yesterday nearly got out of hand when a group of La Stella Band Club members attempted to remain inside their parish church, St George's Basilica, during the march by the rival Leone Philharmonic Society of Victoria.

Their action was intended as a sign of protest against whoever tied the Basilica's bells with chains on Thursday.

Sources said the matter was soon resolved after the police intervened.

Traditionally, parishioners in Victoria, belonging to the Cathedral and St George's and their respective band clubs, Leone and La Stella, taunt each other, often with innovative but underhand means when the feasts of their patron saints, the Assumption and St George are celebrated.

The police reacted promptly, entering the sacristy of St George's Basilica and talking to a La Stella Band Club representative. Assistant Commissioner Josie Brincat attempted to calm down what seemed to be a volatile situation.

The protest was in reaction to the St George's Basilica church bells having being chained the day before by unknown individuals, in order to stop them ringing on the feast of the Assumption, sources said. Last year the bells at St George's were rung in such a manner as to disrupt the march by the Leone band.

During the commotion, a La Stella Band Club spokesman referred to a request they had submitted to the Curia related to the matter but did not give further details.

The spokesman said that the supporters would not move from the church until they received a reply from the Curia.

As the debate went on between the band club representative and the Assistant Commissioner, The Times reporter and photographer were told to leave the sacristy by individuals who said "this is a private matter".

The door leading to the sacristy was kept under watch by between four to eight police officers.

The situation was resolved soon after, sources said.

During the Santa Marija march, which passed by the Basilica, supporters of the Leone Philarmonic Society could be seen waving a teapot-sized hand-held bell about, ringing it continuously, most probably to taunt the La Stella Band Club supporters with the incident of the day before. Leone Band Club activists attempted to stop supporters from waving the bell around, with little success, however.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.