Football Match Organised in Honour of Murder Victim Lassana Cisse: ‘Six Years, No Justice’
Six years after the racially motivated murder of Lassana Cisse, activists and community members gathered on a football pitch to honour his memory with the game he loved. Organised by Moviment Graffitti, the symbolic match served as both a tribute and a powerful reminder that, six years on, justice has yet to be served.
Cisse, a migrant from the Ivory Coast, was killed on 6th April 2019 in Ħal Far during a drive-by shooting. Two other migrants were seriously injured. The suspects—two off-duty Armed Forces of Malta soldiers—were charged with his murder, but the case remains unresolved. As of today, no one has been convicted.
Moviment Graffitti described the killing not simply as an act of violence, but as a deliberate act of terror designed to “instil fear and division” within Malta’s migrant communities. They argue that such an attack was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of systemic racism.
“This wasn’t just the case of two bad apples,” the organisation said. “It was the inevitable result of systemic racism that poisons our courts, our military, our hospitals, our workplaces, and our schools.”
The match was not only about remembrance—it was a form of resistance. Organisers said the perpetrators acted as they did because they “believed they would face no consequences,” and that this sense of impunity is enabled by institutions that too often fail to protect racialised communities.
In their statement, Moviment Graffitti called for urgent and serious action. They demanded real accountability for Lassana’s murder and all forms of racist violence, institutional reform to root out racism from state structures, and an end to political and media rhetoric that fuels hatred.
“Until Malta confronts racism with the urgency and seriousness it demands, and until every racist attack is properly reported, investigated, and prosecuted, this country will never be safe for all who live here,” the group warned.
They ended with a powerful reminder that the clock has been ticking for far too long:
“Six years is too long to wait. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
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