Watch: CCTV Captures Two Men Removing Pride Flag From Queer Bar Kween
A Valletta bar has spoken out after its Pride flag was stolen last night from outside its Merchant Street venue.
The owners of Kween, set to open soon at the site of the former Wild Honey Bar, revealed that the LGBTQIA+ flag they had proudly displayed was taken down by vandals. CCTV footage captured the act, but the team says the message behind the flag is something that can never be erased.
“You can take down a flag, but you can’t take down a community,” the bar wrote on social media.
“We’ll be hanging it back up, loud, prouder and brighter than ever.”
The post went on to stress the importance of visibility, especially during Pride Month, adding that while acts like this are reminders of the challenges still faced, they also highlight the strength of Malta’s queer community.
“Kween will be more than a bar, it will be a home for community creativity and unapologetic self-expression. And our flag will always fly above it,” they wrote.
The incident has already sparked solidarity online, with many locals voicing support for the soon-to-open venue and condemning the vandalism.
Lovin Malta has reached out to Valletta Mayor Olaf Mckay for a comment.
This is after in June a Sliema café had its pride flag torn down for the third time in what owners called a “direct act of hatred”, prompting reactions from the town’s mayor and former MEP Cyrus Engerer.
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