The Malta Independent Thursday 19th April 2001
Increased interest in tomorrow's Mnajdra protest march
Interest in the protest march being organised by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna (Malta Heritage Trust) tomorrow is reported to be on the increase. A large number of organisations are expected to participate, and further details on the national protest are to be given this morning.
The protest march being organised by the Malta Heritage Trust has found the support of delegates of Din l-Art Helwa, Nature Trust, The Malta Ecological Foundation, the Association of Hunters, Trappers and Conservationists, the Maltese Archaeological Group and the political parties among others.
Yesterday, the General Workers' Union announced that it will be taking part in the national protest in Valletta.
The GWU said it felt a need, not only to participate, but also to encourage all its members to take part to demonstrate how much they had Malta's national heritage at heart.
Din l-Art Helwa, apart from encouraging its members to take part in tomorrow's march, also announced another march "for civilisation" which is being organised by the Grupp Arkeologiku Malti and which will leave Hagar Qim for Mnajdra on Sunday at 4pm.
"Both these events are of utmost importance," said the association, "not just because they show those responsible for the recent wanton destruction of the Mnajdra temple that there are still people in Malta that care for their national heritage. They will also convey a message internationally that the island takes responsibility for its World Heritage Sites and intends conserving them, as its people demand that the authorities take serious immediate action to protect and secure the temple sites."
To date, said the association, illegal constructions within the protected area of the temples and their surroundings, alleged to have sparked off the incident, have still not been cleared and there has been no further news from the authorities of any results of the investigations to find and punish the perpetrators of this crime against Malta's heritage.
ECO also announced that it would participate in the protest against the acts of terrorism committed on the Mnajdra megalithic temples site.
The foundation is calling for an official inquiry into what exactly happened on Friday 13 April.
It strongly condemned those individuals who were still building illegal constructions next to the temples on Easter Sunday.
It called on the authorities to break down all illegal dwellings in the area. ECO said the demolition of illegal boathouse in Armier last week was a step in the right direction. ECO said the absolute majority of the Maltese people, who are law abiding citizens, want Malta's historical heritage and ecological diversity to be protected and passed on to future generations.
It proposed that legislation be passed which will protect such sites and duly punish any criminals who damage them.
The GWU in a statement said yesterday that the vandalism in Mnajdra was shameful. This act went against all of civilisation, and it is shameful that there are people in Malta who are capable of committing such crimes.
The GWU called on the authorities to make an effort to find those responsible for these criminal acts and set an example by the punishment given.
The Nationalist Party, in a statement issued on Tuesday, strongly condemned the Mnajdra vandalism, caused, it said, by unscrupulous people against Maltese society and the world's heritage.
The Nationalist Party also supported the Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna protest march.
In a similar statement, the Moviment Zghazagh Partit Nazzjonalista also condemned the vandalism and urged government to invest in the proper protection around the temples, as has been done in the Hal Saflieni hypogeum.
The Qrendi local council, in a statement issued on Sunday, condemned the 13 April happening. For a long time, private families from Qrendi used to take care of the temples, and no such incident had ever occurred.
The council urged continuous protection, not just of the Mnajdra temples but also of the Ta' Rsejjen Tower, just a few metres away.
Ivan Brincat
© Standard Publications 2001
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