The Archpriest of St George’s Basilica, Victoria, has taken to Facebook to express his frustration that public land of St George’s Square has been “seized” and blocked by tables and chairs of nearby shop owners in the area.
Fr Joseph Curmi said in his post that a result of this blocked public land, families organising a wedding or a funeral at the Basilica must either apply for a permit beforehand to force these obstacles to be removed, or else move the obstacles out of the way before the event takes place.
The Archpriest wrote how he and the other persons from the Basilica have tried to persuade these shop owners with “dialogue and compromise” and have also spoken to the authorities “for whole months” for this situation to be handled.
However, according to the Archpriest, authorities responded “in one way or another that they have no authority and that they do not enter St. George’s Square.” Among these mentioned authorities, the archpriest named the Police, Transport Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), the local council, and the Lands Authority.
The archpriest post also stated that once, these shop owners “for an unknown reason” packed up their things and emptied the square after persons from the Lands Authority, together with the police, conducted a check into the area. The situation reverted back to what it was just a few days later.
Additionally, Fr Curmi wrote that while this situation is improving particularly when processions are scheduled, “in everyday normality the situation is always getting worse.”
“What can this be called if not anarchy?” Archpriest Curmi wrote.
The archpriest asked how the Basilica can continue tolerating that whoever has seized this public land “continues to pass over everyone,” that people organising a wedding or funeral must get a permit to remove those occupying public land (with the chance that they don’t actually make way), and that funeral attendees have to move impeding umbrellas and tables out of their way.
Concluding his message, Archpriest Curmi said that “People have a right to a decent funeral and wedding” as well as the right to pass by wheelchair, pushchair, and on foot, though “all this is hindered.”
He added that all four entrances to the square are “abusively blocked” and this is because “certain shop owners know that no action will be taken.” Henceforth, he said that these perpetrators are casting “an ugly shadow” on other owners who are civil, collaborative, and follow the rules.
“This is not justice,” it was said, “No one has a right to public land except the people.”