A resident of the seaside resort of Sliema in Malta decided to protest against the skimpy outfits that tourists wear on the streets, and hung up sixty signs around the city. They read “No beachwear on our streets” and a prohibition sign.
He greets those arriving with a categorical appeal to dress decently. Malta David Pace O'Shea – local media reported, noting that his initiative had been met with support from many irritated residents. The man, who had lived in Sliema since birth, had placed signs in many places showing a crossed-out bikini and men's swimming trunks.
The resident is fed up with scantily clad tourists
“Beachwear only on the beach,” said O'Shea, who also asked the mayor of Sliema and the police chief to support his initiative. He has advocated stricter enforcement of Malta's public decency laws, including through postings on social media. One article in the penal code criminalizes “appearing naked or indecently dressed.”
In an interview with the Times of Malta, O'Shea stressed that tensions between tourists and locals had increased to the point that he had recently witnessed a “fierce argument” over the dress code. The Times of Malta recalled on Friday that O'Shea is not the first Sliema resident to be bothered by scantily clad tourists: last month, the local parish priest, Etienne Sciberras, expressed his displeasure. “However, when he raised the issue with the police, he was told that enforcing such a rule could harm tourism,” it read.
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