The Police Commissioner and the Home Affairs Ministry should treat an assault that took part after the Gozo Pride march on Saturday as a hate crime, Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer said on Friday. 

Engerer was speaking during the third and final day of the LGBTIQ+ Human Rights Conference, organised as part of Europride. 

Following the Gozo Pride march on Saturday, a man was assaulted when he tried to buy a drink from a bar.

In an account issued to the media on Thursday, the victim said one of the bar’s patrons sprinted towards him and punched his face and head. 

“What happened in a bar in Gozo shows how much we still need to work to ensure that hate is eliminated from these islands,” Cyrus said in his opening speech. 

“The Police Commissioner and the Home Affairs Minister must treat this assault as a hate crime against a group of LGBTIQ people celebrating their pride in Gozo last week.”

Speaking to Times of Malta, a police source said the police received a call early on Sunday morning at around 1.30am informing them of an argument that broke out. When they went on site, they found the victim. 

The source said the case is being treated as aggression but investigations are being carried out to find the aggressor (who fled the scene) and the motive behind the attack.

‘Until we are all equal none of us are’

Engerer said that while Malta is known to have the best LGBTIQ laws in Europe, it does not mean there is equality on the island.

A close friend and his partner, who is a third country national, will not be taking part in Saturday’s Pride March because of the discrimination they had to suffer.

“The partner experiences discrimination every day. He is gay but he is not white or European, he lives in Malta and is only defined as a third-country national.”

Engerer said human rights are universal, and should not be seen as a luxury or a privilege. 

“Our rights are not granted by politicians or governments, but they are ours,” he added, and it is the government’s job to protect such rights. 

“Until we are all equal, none of us are…"

For his opening speech, Engerer was wearing a t-shirt with a message of solidarity with the El Hiblu 3. 

The El Hiblu 3 - Amara, Kader, and Abdalla- were among a group of 108 migrants crossing from Libya in a dinghy when they were rescued by the merchant vessel El Hiblu 1 in 2019.

International human rights advocates are calling on the attorney general to drop terrorism charges against the three young men, who are accused of commandeering a ship and threatening its crew after they were rescued at sea. 

Opposition Speaker for Equality Graziella Attard Previ addressing the conference. Photo: Jonathan Borg

'LGBTIQ+ is also about remembering those who suffer in silence’

Opposition Speaker for Equality Graziella Attard Previ also deplored the assault that took place last weekend. 

“The community cannot fully enjoy the universal human rights that are offered to them on paper when they run the risk of hate crime and hate speech on social media,” she said.

She said being part of the LGBTIQ+ community is not all about pride, partying and having fun, but also about remembering and fighting for those who suffer in silence, who are afraid of homophobic actions and being discriminated against. 

“While the younger generation is more open about their sexuality, we cannot forget the elderly and middle-aged groups who are still in the closet,” she added. 

Ukrainian activist gifted a Gilbert Baker flag

Following a discussion "Pride Under Attack", one of the panelists, Ukrainian activist and organiser of Kyiv Pride Edward Reese, was gifted a Gilbert Baker Flag. 

Artist Gilbert Baker designed the first rainbow flag back in 1978. Years later, the flag is still proudly displayed as a symbol of the LGBTQ rights movement and Pride. 

Ukrainian activist Edward Reese (red outfit) t was gifted a Gilbert Baker flag during the conference. Photo: EuroPride Valletta 2023/Facebook

It was explained that the flag was produced in 2003 for the flag's 25th anniversary and was later cut up into small pieces and handed out to cities where LGBTIQ+ communities continue to fight for their rights. 

President of the Gilbert Baker Foundation Charley Beal and the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer Elizabeth Canellakis presented the flag to Reese as a message of hope to Ukraine, and in support of LGBTIQ+ civilians fighting in the war.

Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms and Equality Rebecca Buttigieg closed off the conference.