The police are investigating racist gestures made during an anti-immigration protest held in Valletta last week, countering an anti-racism sit-in.

Last Monday, about 500 people met in Valletta for a sit-down in solidarity with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and to call for justice for Lassana Cisse, a man killed in an alleged racially motivated drive-by shooting in Bir-żebbuġa last year.

Around 40 people turned up in ‘counter-protest’, chanting “this is my country not yours.” They booed while anti-racism protesters, who had a police permit for the sit-in, knelt in a minute’s silence.

The police were asked whether they were taking any action against the people who took part in the counter-protest and made monkey noises and the Nazi salute, and whether they were pressing charges against the protestors for not having a permit.

A police spokesperson said the Valletta district police was investigating a “case regarding the gestures made during the protest”.

Protests have taken place the world over since the murder of George Floyd in the US. The unarmed black man died in Minnesota after an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

These demonstrations and other initiatives, such as a new local Facebook group called ‘Voices Against Racism’, as well as more awareness of the work carried out by the Police Hate Crime and Speech Unit, could be behind a recent local spike in hate crime reports.

Times of Malta reported yesterday that in the first five days of June, the number of hate crime reports were double the total filed during the entire month of May.

A total of 15 reports were made in May, but between June 1 and 5, a total of 31 reports were filed and a further 47 between June 6 and 10. 

The unit analyses the reports in collaboration with a legal team and if the case constitutes a criminal offence, it proceeds with a criminal complaint. This is submitted to the Malta Police Force who then carry on with their own investigations.