A fireworks competition was held at the Grand Harbour last Saturday. Entering King George public garden in Floriana, I was informed that, for me to take a seat, I needed to make a donation of €5. I opted out, proceeding to walk in the public garden towards a standing spot to watch the fireworks.

The public area was enclosed with guarded entrance. I walked in and was refused entry. Asking what I had to do to enter, I was told that I had to go back to the gate and make a €5 donation to enter. Asking which charity benefited from this donation I was informed that “this donation is for the Nationalist Party”.

I do not affiliate myself to any party and I do not wish to donate while wishing to exercise my right of accessing a public area. I was told I could not enter without payment. My option was to go to the other side of the fence.

This was a case of excluding people from a public area entry and turning a donation into a forced fee, arrogantly telling me to complain to Simon Busuttil.

The other side of the fence: I had to climb up a metre-high wall for a view, a narrow health and safety nightmare with high drops. Other families with children decided to grin and bear the exclusion with no safety barriers, no wheelchair access as this was commandeered by the ‘donation’-demanding officials.

Prohibiting access to public areas with commercial rational sets a perilous dangerous trend.

With smart planning, with ‘inclusive right of access’ in mind, we can intelligently create win-win situations as opposed to the deceitful guise of donation or pseudo commercial progress, excluding the powerless from our birth right. Shame to all involved, ignoring history’s lessons.