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Maltese Man Punched In Paceville By Attacker Who Said He ‘Hates Gays’

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A man in his 20s was attacked in Paceville early on Sunday morning after he was asked if he was gay. 

Clif Debono, from San Gwann, told Lovin Malta he was approached by a group of men at around 3am after a night of barhopping in Paceville.

One of the men asked if he was gay and when he responded in the affirmative, the man said he hated gay people, and punched Clif in the face. He fell to the floor, and people quickly jumped in to stop the attacker.

The incident happened on St Rita’s Steps, shortly after Debono left Club Havana and was walking down to the Bay Street area to meet his mother and get a ride home. 

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“I’m sad and still under a big shock that these things are happening in Malta,” Clif told Lovin Malta. “I just thank God that there were people who stopped him and helped me.”

Clif, who is openly gay, said he found himself on the floor all of a sudden after being punched in the face.

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Clif had been at some clubs in Paceville before being attacked on St. Rita Steps

“One big punch to the face is all that I really remember. I got up from the floor and I didn’t even say anything because I was in such shock and pain.”

His fall to the floor also caused further injuries to his legs.

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While the aggressor spoke in English, Clif cannot place his accent, but said he doesn’t think he was Maltese. “I really can’t remember, I was in huge shock…this kind of thing never happened to me.”

After the attack, his mother picked him up and he went home. He said he hasn’t filed a police report yet because he was too shocked and just “wanted to go home.” 

He said he is open to filing a police report his week, but he is focused on recovering first. 

“Nixtieq ngħid xi ħaġa. Għax għandi nibdel lili nnifsi biex inkun kuntent. Jien gay u se mmut gay. Għaliex xi ħadd għandu jweġġagħni għax jien gay. Għandi xi ħaġa inqas minn oħrajn. Le. Tawni daqqiet ta’ ponn għax jien GAY.

A Facebook post by Clif Debono

Malta has made massive passes in LGBT rights over the last few years, with Malta coming in at number 1 for LGBT rights in the ILGA-Europe rankings. 

Malta is one of the few countries in the world to secure LGBT rights at a constitutional level, and Malta was the first country in the EU to ban conversion therapy in 2016.

If you need to report a case of hate crime download the Uni-Form app or go to their website

What do you think of this hate crime in Malta? Let us know in the comments below. 

READ NEXT: Maltese Transgender Woman Beaten By Violent Date

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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