The tragedy which struck a quiet street in Naxxar recently goes beyond the usual pyrotechnic incident. It goes beyond the effect as seen in the Vulcan bomber crash in Zabbar over three decades ago. The psychological repercussions on the residents of Triq Ħal Dgħejf, and the inhabitants of Naxxar, but also on the rest of our little nation would be closer to the effect of a terrorist bombing. This is criminal activity leading to death, destruction of lives and loss of property where none is expected - a definition of terrorism.

No monetary compensation will bring back the loved ones. But how is the loss of property and increased hardship going to be compensated? The other unfortunate family from Fgura who lost their home and life savings from a similar criminal activity have remained without just compensation. There is no reason to believe that the victims of last week's tragedy are going to fare any better. The huge sums of money collected every festa season for fireworks are obtained by a network of festa and fireworks enthusiasts going door to door.

Here is a suggestion. Quantify the compensation due to third party victims (not involved in the manufacture of fireworks). Request that the entire nation's festa fund-raising machinery be put into action to collect the compensation due, proportionally divided according to the population of each parish or town. Withhold indefinitely all permits for festa fireworks in that locality until that same locality (parish, town or village) collects its allotted amount.

There is a code of silence when it come to such activities. I suspect that there may be as many as a dozen more illegal fireworks factories or storage places in residential areas all over the island. Perpetrators should be considered as bad as drug pushers and their assets seized by the courts in a similar way. Justice may be blind, but when it looks the other way...