The anti-spring hunting campaign turned its focus to university students yesterday, underlining the need for them to make an informed decision in the referendum.

Representing the No camp for the April 11 referendum, first-year student Celine Talbot said in a press conference that the campaign, Shout, wanted to “encourage university students to look into the facts and not to be fooled by slick campaigns out there to confuse the public”.

Birds and sustainability, not the EU, derogations or rights, were the real issues behind the referendum. “Hunters talk about balance, and indeed, a real balance would mean not shooting migratory birds on their way to raise their young,” Ms Talbot said.

A number of university organisations have expressed their support for the No vote, but Shout ambassador Edward Caruana Dingli, also a student, said all students ought to show that they wanted to protect the environment.

“I joined the Spring Hunting Out campaign as an ambassador but in reality we are all ambassadors. When we put on our t-shirts, when we write that we are voting No on Facebook or when we discuss this with our friends, we are all giving a voice to the birds.”

As of next week, between Wednesday and Friday, students will be organising information sessions and events on campus. Several organisations helped out in the signatures for the petition leading up to the referendum, including Y4TE, Greenhouse Malta and S-cubed. Other student organisations including JEF Malta, SDM and ASA also officially backed a No vote.

The University Students’ Council recently released an official statement saying the current situation was “untenable” and necessary measures had to be taken in name of species conservation, not to antagonise hunters.

Meanwhile, the Yes for spring hunting camp reiterated that the electorate would be voting to apply a derogation to allow spring hunting.