Malta celebrates 44th anniversary of Freedom Day

Commemorative ceremony held in Vittoriosa

March 31, 2023| Times of Malta 1 min read
President George Vella placing monuments at the foot of the Freedom Monument in Vittoriosa. Photo: MatthewMirabelliPresident George Vella placing monuments at the foot of the Freedom Monument in Vittoriosa. Photo: MatthewMirabelli

Malta celebrated the 44th anniversary of the closure of the British military base on the islands on Friday, with a ceremony at the Freedom Day monument in Vittoriosa.

President George Vella inspected a guard of honour before walking up the monument to lay flowers.

Flowers were also laid by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition whip Robert Cutajar.

The monument represents the lowering of the Union Jack for the last time by a British sailor and its replacement by a Maltese flag hoisted by a worker.

Freedom Day events continue with the traditional regatta in the afternoon.

The Armed Forces of Malta band playing the national anthem in Vittoriosa. Photo: Matthew MirabelliThe Armed Forces of Malta band playing the national anthem in Vittoriosa. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The Prime Minister walks up the monument to lay flowers. Photo: Matthew MirabelliThe Prime Minister walks up the monument to lay flowers. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Photo: Matthew MirabelliPhoto: Matthew Mirabelli

Robert Abela (left) and Robert Cutajar share a moment after laying flowers at the foot of the monument. Photo: Matthew MirabelliRobert Abela (left) and Robert Cutajar share a moment after laying flowers at the foot of the monument. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.