The Federation for Hunting and Conservation – Malta (FKNK) denied allegations that meetings it planned to hold are intended to provoke violence. “The FKNK has always condemned violent acts and will continue to do so,” it said.

The purpose of the forthcoming FKNK meetings is to state the true facts about the hunting and trapping situation on the Maltese islands and to guide the thousands of members.

It accused Tolga Temuge, BirdLife Malta director, of hypocrisy in talking about “calming the situation” when it was BirdLife itself that was “doing exactly the opposite”. Is BirdLife trying to calm the situation with the publication of images of bloodied birds and stirring up readers’ emotions against all hunters? Is BirdLife trying to calm the situation by insisting that the government should go against its commitment to open the spring hunting season? “Is BirdLife trying to calm the situation by proposing that our thousands of law-abiding members be looked upon as criminals for practising hunting in spring?” the FKNK asked.

Mr Temuge himself speaks of “BirdLife’s campaign to end hunting in spring”, it said. But he knows very well that hunting in spring is a legitimate activity practised for centuries on the Maltese Islands. So who was muddying the waters? Who has been agitating against Maltese hunting and trapping on the local and foreign media, among the birding societies overseas, and among the members of the European Parliament? Who boasted of being in possession of “a secret weapon” to use against Maltese hunters and trappers? “Was it not Turkish nationalist Tolga Temuge himself on his employment with BirdLife (Malta)?” the FKNK asked.

Mr Temuge says he is “extremely concerned”, it added. He should have been extremely concerned before BirdLife started its “insidious and malicious” propaganda against Malta’s hunters and trappers by twisting the facts and bombarding the media with lies, half-truths and misrepresentations of material facts.

Although warned in 2006 to expect “the full wrath of hunters”, he and members of his organisation persist with their confrontation. Mr Temuge “fears things will get worse”. They might, unless BirdLife and Co. ceased to manipulate people’s emotions against hunting and trapping and halt their constant agitation against all hunters and trappers, the FKNK said.