On the pavement just opposite the Libyan Embassy in Balzan, the police had erected a huge number of barricades to prevent access to members of the Libyan community who, justifiably, used to hold protests in front of the premises during the uprising.

One notices, not with a certain amount of irony, that while the coils of barbed wire strung along the walls of the embassy were removed for the French Ambassador’s visit, these barricades blocking the pavement, usually used by Maltese citizens, are still in place.

These barricades constitute a hazard to those people who cross the bypass from the bus stop opposite and a danger to the large number of people who are forced to share the narrow road with the traffic.

To make matters worse, a huge police bus is parked right in front of the embassy, thus making the road even narrower.

Why are these barricades still in place? Are the police anticipating more protests or have they just forgotten all about them? Are they waiting for a fatal accident to happen before these barricades are removed ?