Omar Rababah approved as PL candidate with overwhelming majority
Social worker and activist to contest Districts 6 and 7, approved after facing wave of racist abuse
Omar Rababah has been approved by the Labour Party’s national executive as a candidate for the upcoming general election with “an extraordinary majority”.
Sources close to the PL said Rababah’s candidacy was approved with 26 votes in favour and three against.
Reacting to the news, Rababah, who will be contesting Districts 6 and 7, thanked all those who supported him for their “trust, support and encouragement”.
“This is a responsibility I accept with humility, seriousness and full commitment to being a strong social voice,” Rababah wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday evening.
"There is much work ahead of us to do together. Let us look forward with unity, with love for our country, and with commitment to work for a Better Malta."
His nomination had sparked a torrent of racist abuse across social media, with some spreading Islamophobic conspiracy theories of a Muslim agenda to take over Malta.
Rababah, who was born in Malta to a Syrian father and Maltese mother, told a PL event on Wednesday evening he stood “for everything that is Maltese and will defend everything that is Maltese”.
Over the years, the social worker has made a name for himself as a vocal activist for human rights and social justice.
He had been encouraged to contest the election by Robert Abela himself, who defended the decision, saying Rababah is “Maltese born and bred”.
“Omar is Maltese. He was born in Malta, in our hospital, in 1991. He lives in Malta. His children are baptised as Catholics. He’s a member of the Youth Advisory Forum. That’s Omar,” Abela said.