A barman refused to allow Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech into the party’s own club on Sunday, following which an incident broke out which left a supporter injured.

The incident took place during the popular Sunday morning march to celebrate the feast of St Cajetan in Hamrun, sources confirmed.

Grech attempted to enter the club with a group of followers but, as a barman refused him entry, an altercation broke out between people who were already in the club and others who were accompanying Grech.

One of Grech’s supports, Noel Mifsud Bonnici, was allegedly beaten to the ground, his wife later said on Facebook. The man needed to be taken to hospital for treatment.

Police officers on site intervened to break up the altercation.

Several top party sources told Times of Malta that the altercation was not motivated by any feud between supporters. They said it was likely caused by a misunderstanding that got out of hand, in a place and atmosphere where several people were under the influence of alcohol.

Grech followed the feast celebrations from the balcony of a nearby property. The Malta Independent has sent questions to the PN, but no answers have as yet been received.

In a post on Facebook (below), the injured man’s wife Fatima said her husband was attacked as he was accompanying Grech inside the PN club in Hamrun. The person responsible for the club, she wrote, did not want him inside and “when my husband, without any violence”, insisted that the party leader had every right to enter the club, he was attacked by a number of men who were inside the club. She said that her husband suffered torn knee ligaments and needed surgery.

In a statement, the St Joseph Band Club (the place where a photo of Grech overlooking the crowd was taken) said on Facebook that Grech had been invited to enter by the club. It said that it had invited several MPs who attend the March and showed interest in seeing the feast from the balcony of the club. Prime Minister Robert Abela was also invited to the annual reception, it said but was not able to attend. The club clarified that Grech was on the balcony only for a few minutes, and not the whole March. It said that Grech, for a number of years, served as legal consultant to the club, and did not continue to do so as he was appointed Opposition Leader.