100 years ago

Monument in Valletta to honor the victims of June 7, 1919

On the 7th June 1919, exactly 100 years ago, following a series of riots by Maltese citizens, British troops fired into the local crowds, killing four and injuring 50, two of whom died a few days later. So what were they rioting about? Well, essentially, food. Or, at least, that's how things started. The first World War had just ended, and locals were pretty much over it with the no food situation. Most of Europe was going through the same thing, as the war had seriously messed with the agriculture and food industry. But in Malta, because we relied on importation for a lot of our sustenance, things got seriously out of hand. Import prices rose exponentially on the islands and food remained scarce. On top of that was an intense level of British military presence on the island, growing tensions about whether the Maltese could ever be able to play a larger role in the administration of the country, and a heated dispute over the Union Jack vs the Maltese flag. The actual 7th June date signifies the moment where all these tensions came to a serious head. With the aforementioned military presence being beefed up, a stand-off culminated in a serious fatal confrontation. Although soldiers were instructed not to fire at the crowds, shots did ring out, and in the end there were six fatalities. We honor the victims today and continue to pray for ongoing peace.