The Hunters' Federation this morning called on the police to institute legal action against BirdLife Malta in connection with a protest which the NGO held yesterday at Palace Square.

BirdLife members yesterday set up a mock hunting hide in front of the Palace and called on the police to remove all unauthorised hides in the countryside.

The FKNK in a statement said it expected the Commissioner of Police to act against BirdLife for the unauthorised construction of a hunting/trapping hide/blind on public land, the staging of a protest without having the necessary permits, the dumping of waste on public land (spent cartridge cases) and displaying an imitation shotgun.

The federation pointed out that when it staged a protest in Valletta on March 2007, after obtaining all the necessary permits, a person who had been carrying an object made out of wood used to depict a firearm, was fined Lm200 (€465.87).

The FKNK described yesterday's protest as a 'farce' and that that not satisfied with the government land that the Maltese government has allocated to it, BirdLife Malta was protesting over the use of other land.

It said that in stark contrast to other public land that is open to the general public, BLM's lands are fenced-in.

"Now the same BLM want to dictate what should and should not be done, not simply on other government owned land, especially in the Hunting Reserve of Miżieb which has been managed by the Federation for Hunting & Conservation - Malta (FKNK) since 1986, but also on private owned land."

The FKNK said this was BLM’s second attack on Miżieb in less than a month, and since the FKNK also noted and welcomed government’s immediate reaction after the first attack, in that Miżieb would continue to be managed by the FKNK, the federation would ignore this yet another 'provocative tactic' of BLM.

'This BLM action is in no way related to wild birds’ protection, and we have better things to do!'