The tragic events that occurred 93 years ago today are now commemorated as Sette Giugno, but what one of Malta’s five national holidays actually commemorates, is very much misunderstood.

The official tourism site for Malta, visitmalta.com, succinctly describes the common perception by noting that the holiday “is in remembrance of the riots of 1919, when the Maltese people revolted against the British administration and demanded some form of representative government for the island.

“Four people died on that fateful day,” it adds. But the statement is wrong on multiple counts, and presents a somewhat inaccurate picture on a number of others.

Even the assumption that the riots led to the death of four men – Manwel Attard, Guze Bajada, Wenzu Dyer and Karmenu Abela – is wrong.

Three of them were actually killed on 7 June, 1919: Mr Abela was bayoneted when disturbances continued the next day and died nine days later. And the final death toll of the riots is six, as Cikku Darmanin and Toni Caruana also died days after sustaining injuries, but even the national monument leaves out their names.

The riots themselves are also glossed over heavily.

Political issues, including agitation for self-government, were a fundamental cause. The National Assembly, which had formed earlier that year and which had approved a resolution calling for independence, held its second meeting on the day, and unrest was foreseen.

But other causes were also important, including food prices which rose in the aftermath of the Great War, and the widespread perception – right or wrong – that merchants were profiteering.

The riots were a typical affair, as far as riots are concerned: including mobs of people committing violent acts which were unlikely to have much of a noble purpose.

A number of well-off families’ homes were looted and ransacked, including those of millers, who were blamed for high bread prices. Most flour mills were razed: one was spared after employees resisted the attack and eventually bought the mob off with sacks of flour.

Other sites targeted by rioters included the meteorological offices, the offices of the Daily Malta Chronicle newspaper and numerous Valletta outlets, to mention a few.

And yet, the event remains a significant moment in Maltese history, because of what it led to. The riots may have involved condemnable acts, but they did reflect a need for reform.

The newly-appointed British governor, Lord Herbert Plumer – who arrived in Malta a few days later – pushed for liberal concessions, which led to the 1921 proclamation of the Amery-Milner Constitution, which granted Malta autonomy in internal affairs and led to the creation of the Maltese parliament as well as Malta’s first prime minister.

So what we are commemorating today is arguably the birth of Malta as a nation, as opposed to a simple geographical expression.

The event commemorated is unquestionably dramatic and ultimately significant: it is, arguably, the Maltese counterpart of the storming of the Bastille.

But one need not stress its significance by glorifying all that happened and everyone involved, by engendering a national myth of a struggle between virtuous patriots and their evil, oppressive, overlords. If anything, such a mythical interpretation of the event only diminishes the very real significance of what had happened, as it strips it of context.

That a significant amount of time has passed since the event, does not help matters.

A similarly inaccurate myth has also developed around the only earlier event commemorated in a national holiday – the Great Siege. Although it was a significant military struggle, beliefs that it was crucial in “saving” Europe from a “Muslim threat” are an overstatement to say the least, although more on that, perhaps, when that holiday comes.