Steve Micklewright (The Sunday Times of Malta, October 27) finds the Saint Hubert Hunters statement that Birdlife Malta repeatedly produces “false and damaging allegations” deeply insulting. He states that Birdlife monitoring is undertaken by law-abiding, honest people who act with integrity.
If these people do act with integrity, perhaps he should therefore explain how contrary to common knowledge, police reports, government declarations and court records Birdlife’s president recently publicly declared on Times Talk that “illegalities have increased”. He might also wish to explain why, during the same programme Joe Mangion preferred to quote impressive percentages rather than actual, measly figures even when repeatedly asked to do so by the programme hosts.
Birdlife Malta laments the fact that the police no longer accompany their camp participants. I am quite sure given their ability to acquire funds so easily from EU initiatives, foreign partners, local banks and other entities, paying for a police escort is the least of Birdlife’s problems. Clearly, the Police Commissioner has more faith in the ability of his force than he has in Birdlife’s witnesses.
Micklewright would also welcome our organisation to join Birdlife in the countryside to verify what their volunteers witness. Does he not realise that what we witness throughout the hunting seasons is what we base our criticism of Birdlife’s excesses upon? Clearly, he does not accept the fact that thousands of hunters are as honest and law-abiding as his camp’s participants.
Perhaps he is referring to our accompanying his teams next spring when he and his “honest people” will collect signatures to ban legal spring hunting. He is either a dreamer or the perfect fool to even consider any form of cooperation. Apart from distancing ourselves from radicals who have shown no intention of reconciliation, we refuse to acknowledge Birdlife Malta as anything more than an anti-hunting society run by charlatans and opportunists.
To illustrate this fact, may we remind Micklewright of the agreement entered into by his parent organisation Birdlife International on the eve of the spring hunting court case: “In advance of the ruling of the European Court of Justice in Case C-76/08 on spring hunting of Turtle Dove and Common in Malta, we the undersigned state that we will respect the ruling of the court and we call upon all parties and individuals to do the same. Recognising that the situation around hunting in Malta has been characterised by strong controversy, we call upon all individuals to exercise restraint and to avoid any escalation”.
Considering the entire EU hierarchy confirmed spring hunting to be in line with the court ruling, can Micklewright and his beloved Birdlife deny they are doing exactly the opposite to what Birdlife International agreed, simply to suit their own abolitionist ideals?