We are writing to highlight the aggression and attacks faced by BirdLife Malta volunteers during the first week of Spring Watch and beyond.
We are doing our utmost to raise awareness on these issues, particularly because these incidents are the latest in the last three years. We are truly concerned that none of the perpetrators of these crimes has ever been brought to justice.
But our greatest concern is focused on the incident that occurred in Dingli on Sunday 18 April, when two of our volunteers were violently assaulted. We are outlining the facts of the matter, which were at times misrepresented in the local media.
Contrary to allegations made by the aggressors, the volunteers were not trespassing. They were walking on a country lane – the same lane that the aggressors used to drive up to our volunteers and launch an assault without warning. The volunteers were not trampling in a field and there was no damage to crops. The volunteers were standing on grass at the edge of a country lane when they were attacked.
The facts are all clearly visible in the footage that remains online on the BirdlLife Malta web site (www.birdlifemalta.org). The Sunday incident is the last clip in the video. Below is a detailed account of what happened:
After hearing several gunshots from the area in Dingli, a BirdLife Spring Watch team consisting of four people stopped at the junction of a country lane. Two volunteers got out off the car and walked along a country lane to check the poachers while the others who remained in the car drove down the other road. The volunteers who walked down the country lane came to a dead end and walked back along the same country lane. As they did so, a white pick up truck drove towards them; two men got out and immediately attacked them without warning. As can be heard in the video of the assault, they wanted the camera.
While one of the volunteers was being punched, he lost grip of the camera, which fell into the surrounding shrubs. As the aggressors’ attention was diverted to the fallen camera, the volunteers had the chance to get away. The aggressors followed them, shouting insults and threats. The camera was then taken by one of the aggressors, and with it, the evidence of what had just happened.
Meanwhile, two other members of the BirdLife team who heard the shouting came to the other end of the road in their car to pick up their friends. They had their own camera and managed to record the faces of the aggressors on that camera as they approached the vehicle (in the footage, this is the frame immediately following the beating, showing the men approach the car). The team drove off to avoid confrontation.
At this point, the hunters had one camera (evidence) in their hand, but realized that another camera had got their faces. They decided to hand over the camera to the olice, but deleted the footage first. The camera then was given to BirdLife by the police. Through O&O Media Recovery (software), the footage was recovered by BirdLife. It revealed that when the hunters got into their car, the BirdLife camera was still on. They can be heard discussing whether the BirdLife volunteers took the truck’s license number and they mention hiding a shotgun. They are also heard deciding to go to police and tell them the volunteers were trespassing. At the end of the footage a young person is heard saying he could delete the footage for them. The footage showing the full version of the incident was handed over to the CID police.
The matter is now in the hands of the police and the judiciary.
Geoffrey Saliba
Campaign coordinator,
BirdLife Malta
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