Ahmed Diriye is another victim of dehumanisation due to skin colour, Equality Minister Owen Bonnici said.

Diriye was reported missing on Monday and In an update later in the day, it was said that the man had been identified as the person who was injured in Marsa on 22 December, who later died. When local news outlets had originally carried a police appeal for information about the missing man on Monday, many spewed hate and ignorance on social media, with some even enjoying the fact that there was now "one fewer of them among us."

Bonnici was asked for his reaction to the situation and said that there is no room for hate.

He said that Diriye has lived and worked in Malta since 2004.  "I am sure that the majority of people are shocked that there are still those who feel they can use social media for hate speech and xenophobia. The government is determined to, while not hampering the democratic debate on diversity, be clear that there are lines which cannot be crossed. There is no room for hate. Hate speech leads to hate crimes, with tragic consequences. This is the message we are sending through our strategy against racism that we began implementing this year."