It’s Time To Remove George Cross From Maltese Flag, Lawyer Franco Debono Proposes
As Malta celebrated 58 years of independence yesterday, leading criminal lawyer Franco Debono urged the nation to consider updating its flag by removing the George Cross emblem from it.
“I believe the time has come to remove the George Cross from our national flag,” Debono said, arguing that Malta shouldn’t give such prominence to an award that is traditionally bestowed as an individual honour.
“From the little research I carried out, it seems the British usually give the George Cross to sergeants, constables, captains, lieutenants, majors, corporals, superintendents, chief officers and so on, some 400 people in total.”
“I don’t think that an honour that is given to individuals to display on their chests should be on our national flag.”
“While removing the George Cross, we should also sweep out the colonial and servile mentality that is still stifling the nation and against which I had rebelled as an MP.”
Instituted by King George VII in 1940 to recognize acts of gallantry, the George Cross has been awarded 409 times so far, 406 times of which were given to individuals.
The people of Malta were the first to be awarded the George Cross collectively in 1942, when King George VI decided to recognise the nation’s heroic struggle against the attacks it faced during the Second World War.
It has since been issued collectively two more times, to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1999 and the National Health Service in 2021.
The presence of the George Cross on the Maltese flag has long been a subject of debate and Debono’s proposal unsurprisingly proved controversial.
Proponents of the George Cross argue that it is a constant reminder of the bravery shown by the people of Malta and has become a crucial part of the island’s identity, while critics warn it is ultimately a symbol of Malta’s colonial days.
Should the George Cross be removed from the Maltese flag?
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