FKNK says hunters followed its EP voting instructions
'Less than 20' members dismissed for illegalities
Officials of the hunters' federation (FKNK) said this morning that their federation had so far dismissed 'less than 20' of their members because of illegalities. The federation has 12,000 members.
The officials, speaking at a press conference, reiterated their warning to members that no hunting illegalities would be tolerated.
They also called on the government to open talks with them on how limited spring hunting could take place, in the context of the recent European Court of Justice sentence.
Federation president Lino Farrugia said that after two years of collective punishment, the ECJ has shown that spring hunting could be permitted since autumn hunting did not compensate for spring.
During the press conference, Mr Farrugia and federation PRO Joe Perici Calascione said that a survey which they had carried out showed that 93 percent of members had followed the federation's directions on how to vote in the European Parliament elections.
They said the federation had suggested that they vote for Labour candidates Joseph Cuschieri, Marlene Mizzi, Edward Scicluna, Louis Grech, Sharon Ellul Bonici and John Attard Montalto.
Nationalist candidate Alex Perici Calascione, the federation's legal counsel, was not included because he had said he would not go into hunting because of a conflict of interest.
Mr Farrugia underlined the strength of the hunter's vote, saying that had the environmentalists' vote been as strong, people such as Harry Vassallo would not have been denied success at the polls.
On the BirdLifeCABS claims of finding a bird 'cemetery at Mizieb, Mr Farrugia said the federation would be holding a meeting for its members who went to Mizieb. There was no proof, he said, that hunters were responsible for what had reportedly been found. He also pointed out that hundreds of people went to Mizieb every weekend.
During the press conference, Mr Pelici Calascione asked for a minute's silence in memory of four hunters who, he said, committed suicide because of the hunting ban. He said that many other hunters were on anti-depressants.