BirdLife Malta today urged the Commissioner of Police to immediately respond to the report (kwerela) it filed a year ago regarding the messages posted on FKNK's website forum as well as the content of FKNK media statements targeting BirdLife. The conservation organisation also stated that it had sent a letter to the Commissioner of Police earlier this month asking for his immediate action with regards to the ever increasing threats that are recently being posted on the FKNK website forum against members, staff and officials of BirdLife Malta and its conservation project sites.

BirdLife's first report to the Police Commissioner was sent on 15 February 2007, more than a year ago, quoting various posts on the FKNK forum and alerting the Police to these statements which the conservation organisation believes to be in breach of national legislation as the responsibility of the messages posted on the FKNK website forum lies with the FKNK which is accountable for what is posted on the forum through its moderators.

"Ultimately, the fact that the FKNK allows such posts to be present on its forum violates the provisions relating to the Electronic Communications Act, the Criminal Code and the Press Act," held Tolga Temuge, Executive Director of BirdLife Malta.

To date the Commissioner of Police, or his subordinates, has not communicated with BirdLife or its legal counsel as to what the investigations (he is duty bound to carry out) have yielded. BirdLife warned that in view of the recent escalation of the malicious acts it was holding the Commissioner of Police responsible if no action would be forthcoming in this regard.

BirdLife affirmed that not only has nothing apparently been done to address this situation by the Police Commissioner to this day, but the language used by FKNK's administration in their press releases as well as by certain members on its website forum continued to spew venom against BirdLife, its staff, members, volunteers and projects.

BirdLife recalled one of the early FKNK press statements dated July 7, 2006 titled "BirdLife will feel Hunters' Wrath" in which FKNK had stated that "Birdlife and Co. will feel the full weight of the wrath of FKNK and Maltese Hunters and Trappers?" and "?before anyone can abolish such traditions they would have to go over a lot of dead bodies."

"It is no wonder that some FKNK members continue to post the organisation's forum with comments filled with rage and xenophobia, threatening varying degrees of violence and inciting hatred of anyone who so much 'dares' to disagree with their point of view," continued Temuge.

One of the frequent members of the FKNK website forum nicknamed Barbier recently even threatened the police when referring to the birdwatchers who would take part in BirdLife's spring watch camp planned for the coming April: "we need to be united so that if they approach us we join forces and you'll see how the police will do nothing to us because they too have a family?"

Another member nicknamed breda_2007 again referring to BirdLife's spring watch camp's volunteers posted: "And their cameras its better that they keep them away cause if they try to point one at me I'll do like I do to clay pigeons." And the next day: "There's the plough in my room [at the field] it hasn't been used in a while? it's as big as a bulldozer?I think it will be happy to find something to chew on under its roll?"

Another member nicknamed Breda referred to the recent developments on spring hunting and called for a protest: "One in front of the reserves, and we'll break everything!!!!" Another one nicknamed birdflu curer replied: "breakage like they do in Europe since they want to be in line with Europe BREAKAGE AND DAMAGE, NO MERCY WITH THESE ****"

"Whilst BirdLife is aware that many FKNK members and legitimate hunters do not agree with violence and escalating tension, it is incredible that rather than condemning the arson attack of Sunday and calling on its members to calm down, the FKNK administration once again chose to take threatening shots at BirdLife," Temuge concluded.