Prime Minister Robert Abela has reassured the LGBTIQ community that they are all loved and accepted in Malta… and that “no keyboard warrior or hate speech should stop you from living your truth”.

Abela made the comments during the opening of the second day of the LGBTIQ Human Rights Conference, specifically dedicating his words “to all those who are still living in the shadows, afraid of being true to who they are, afraid of discrimination and hate.”

“We are a country of acceptance and we are a country that wants you to be true to yourself and live freely,” Abela said.

It has been an eventful and at-times turbulent run up to EuroPride 2023’s grand celebrations and this Saturday’s Pride March in Valletta.

Just this morning, LGBTI+ Gozo released a statement condemning what it called a “homophobic attack” which saw a group of queer individuals who had departed from the Gozo Pride Concert facing verbal abuse as they approached a local bar. The confrontation escalated, resulting in a physical attack on one individual.

“We cannot stand idly by while members of our society are attacked and assaulted just for being themselves,” the statement issued by the sister island’s LGBTIQ community said. “We cannot celebrate Pride and do nothing while LGBTI+ people in Gozo and Malta experience discrimination, stigma, and violence just for occupying space. We cannot call ourselves the most LGBTI+-friendly country in Europe while queer Gozitans are assaulted while trying to respectfully and courteously enjoy their Pride celebration.”