Hundreds of Labour Party supporters flocked to Valletta on Tuesday to protest in solidarity with the country’s disgraced ex-Prime Minister and the other former PL officials, all of whom are criminally charged following the conclusion of the magisterial inquiry into the hospitals' deal.
Spurred by present and past Labour officials, the crwd gathered today in front of the Law Courts to show solidarity for those who have been criminally charged and to condemn the “establishment” for this “frame-up.”
But what do people across the Maltese islands think? How was this morning’s crowd perceived by the rest of the population?
Looking at online comments posted in the comment sections of different media houses, one can notice some variance in opinions. However, if one had to look into the comment sections of non-politically affiliated online fora, most of these comments were not in favour of this morning’s solidarity seekers.
While online commentors under One News articles echoed “INVICTUS” and defended people’s right to protest, drastically different opinions can be observed under the comment sections of Malta’s independent media houses.
Under one post featuring Joseph Muscat’s applauded arrival at the Court, popular comments spoke of this event being reminiscent of a “dystopian timeline” and questioned how these protestors are not “ashamed of themselves” for supporting the disgraced former Prime Minister.
One commentor noticed former PM Muscat’s entourage as he was approaching the Court and asked, “Considering that he did nothing, 6 lawyers are too many, or not?”
Other comments about this morning’s crowd were less politically correct. Some of the phrases used by online commentors to describe the crowd in front of today’s Courts varied from “sheep” to “Ġaħan Ghetto” to other descriptions. Many comments thematically spoke about the crowd having a low collective IQ.
Some people online showed disappointment towards what was observed a few hours ago, calling these captured scenes “a sad sight” and a pity.
Many people noted that the demography of the people who turned up in Valletta today featured many older persons with “an average age of at least 65” and seemingly no young people. One commentor expressed sympathy towards the crowd of “misled pensioners”.
From the opposite end of the spectrum, some comments online advocated for youths to observe these scenes and to change the narrative by responsibly using their vote in the upcoming elections.
Criticising the attitude of the protestors, many people online wrote how “They should be there throwing tomatoes” instead, rather than “thanking them for screwing them and their kids.”