A rainbow flag raised by the Balzan local council as part of Pride Week was burnt in the early hours of Friday morning.

Footage reviewed by the council showed a person acting strangely and moving erratically in the area before the destruction of the flag, Balzan mayor Ian Spiteri said, and that this had been handed over to the police.

The council said it was shocked by the incident and condemned it as “hateful act”.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Dr Spiteri said the council’s secretary had arrived in the morning to find the blacked-up flag on the ground and immediately reported it to the police.

“Whether it was an act directed towards someone in the movement or whether it was an act of vandalism we still don’t know,” Dr Spiteri said.

He said it was yet unclear whether the act was the result of drunken vandalism or was indeed targeted intimidation.

Dr Spiteri said a person had already been called into the police station.

Writing on Facebook, Balzan deputy mayor Angelo Micallef said that “it is shameful that in this day and age a simple symbol gesture meant to send a message against discrimination still generates such hateful acts”.

“I express my disgust at this act and hope that those responsible are caught,” Dr Micallef said.

“This act was not only violent and disgusting in its intent but also dangerous given that the area is surrounded by trees.”

Equality Minister Edward Zammit Lewis also took to social media to condemn the act, saying in a Facebook post that it was such incidents that prompted the need to work with more determination in order to change public mentality. 

The Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement said a new flag had been donated to the council as a gesture of goodwill and that the council would try to replace the vandlaised flag before Pride March on Saturday.