From a total of 185 reports to the Hate Crime and Speech Unit this year, only around 5% were flagged for police to investigate.

Malta’s Hate Crime And Speech Unit, established in October 2019, was set up to provide victims of hate crimes psychological and legal support. The unit also flags reports in clear breach of Article 82A of Chapter 9 in Malta’s Criminal Code to the police to investigate further.

It told Lovin Malta that it issued 10 police challenges so far this year, with a number of others currently being formulated.

Reports shot up last month following the anti-racism protests held on 8th June in Valletta, which was met by a counter-rally with far-right sentiments. By 10th June, the unit received 78 reports,  nearly eight times what had been reported in the first half of May.

Malta has some of the highest amounts of online hate speech in the EU, with a 2018 Eurobarometer reporting more than half (55%) of Maltese saying that hate speech was the illegal content they were most likely to encounter accidentally online.

Newly appointed police commissioner Angelo Gafa’ has pledged further crackdowns on hate crime in Malta. During his parliamentary grilling, Gafa’ proposed a dedicated hate crime and speech unit within Malta’s police force to tackle the pertinent issue more effectively.

Have you ever encountered hate speech?