A group originally founded by former Labour Prime Minister Dom Mintoff has announced a public rally in defence of Malta’s neutrality.

The Front Maltin Inqumu event will be held on October 19 in Valletta and forms part of the campaign titled "Vistu għan-Newtralità" (Mourning Neutrality), aimed at protesting against what they describe as the government's encroachment on Malta’s neutral status.

The group, which has only recently returned to political activism after a years-long hiatus, claims that decisions are being taken behind closed doors without consulting the public, thus betraying Malta’s national interests.

At the heart of the issue is Malta's neutral stance, which has been enshrined in its constitution since 1987.

The rally will feature several prominent speakers, including Yana Mintoff, Dom Mintoff’s daughter, and Conrad Borg Manche, the former Labour mayor of Gżira.

The movement says it aims to expose how Prime Minister Robert Abela and Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg are violating the Maltese constitution by allowing foreign military influence on the island.

They believe recent developments, including an increasing presence of foreign military forces in Malta, are a direct attack on this neutrality.

One recent example cited by the group is the stopover of RAF fighter jets in Malta, a move they argue is part of a broader trend that threatens the island's sovereignty.

At the forefront of this revived effort is Sammy Meilak, a former union leader and Labour Party delegate who serves as the association's current president.

Meilaq has been critical of the prime minister and his deputy of late.  

But on September 20, he was welcomed at labour headquarters in Ħamrun by Alex Agius Saliba, who had only just been elected to the post of deputy Labour leader for party affairs.

Newly-elected labour deputy leader Alex Agius Saliba made it a point to meet Sammy Meilaq soon after his election. Photo: Facebook.

In an interview published by Times of Malta in September 2024, Meilaq expressed deep concern about the government's current direction.

He described neutrality as a cornerstone of Maltese identity, asserting that it protects the country from becoming embroiled in global conflicts and foreign power struggles.

According to Meilaq, Malta’s neutrality has historically allowed it to be a mediator for peace and an advocate for non-alignment on the international stage.

However, Meilaq believes that the government is abandoning this principle in favour of stronger ties with foreign military powers, particularly the United States.

Front Maltin Inqumu was set up in 2002 by Mintoff as a lobby group to object to the way the Eddie Fenech Adami-led government was negotiating accession to the European Union. 

Former Labour Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici had joined his predecessor in the group soon after, and then took over as its leader.