The police have identified a man who on Saturday verbally abused anti-spring hunting campaigners during a press conference in Birkirkara.

An investigation is being held, a police spokeswoman told this newspaper, as the campaign said it knew he was a hunter and expressed disappointment over speculation the incident had been a set-up.

“A few hours after the incident involving the coordinator of the campaign, instead of condemning the behaviour, doubts were raised about whether the man was a hunter.

“I feel this is conveying a message to others that they can do as they please,” activist Mark Sultana said at a news conference in Buskett yesterday morning.

“We’ve seen it in the past when, after hunters behave violently and vulgarly, hunters’ groups say they understand the hunters’ frustration.”

This is conveying a message to others that they can do as they please

On Saturday, a young female activist was approached by a man who threatened and hurled insults at her. He was later seen walking by with a stack of campaign leaflets that had been set on fire.

The campaign, Mr Sultana added, knew that the man was a hunter. He expressed disappointment that rather than support from the opposite side, there was speculation that the incident had been a set-up.

However, there was a long history of criminal violence against innocent people by some hunters and Spring Hunting Out (Shout) was actually holding its conference in the protected woodland Buskett to recall some incidents, he said.

The most recent one was that of September 21, when a mob of 30 angry hunters attacked about 13 birdwatchers, who included a seven-year-old, following a protest in Valletta after the Prime Minister closed the hunting season.

The hunters had committed this “barbarous act of intimidation” because they had not agreed with a decision taken by their country, Mr Sultana said.

On that occasion, he added, the hunters’ federation had said it understood the Maltese hunters’ frustration at being prevented from practising their hunting passions.

Meanwhile, the previous year Buskett also saw the massacre of rare eagles, and in 2008, an arson attack on three birdwatchers’ cars.

Mr Sultana said that although Buskett was a bird sanctuary where hunting was forbidden, hunters still shot birds there.

He urged voters in the April 11 referendum not to forget past incidents of illegal killing, intimidation and assault.