With Malta’s attention turning to the George Floyd protests raging in America, one black Maltese woman has given an intimate account of the daily dose of racism people of colour experience on the island.

Annarita Aquilina works at her family business, the iconic Elia cafe who have put their support behind the Black Lives Matter movement. However, that didn’t stop one client from dismissing Annarita due to the colour of her skin.

“Yesterday, I encountered a situation that seems to be happening quite often lately.”

“A customer refused to get served by me. After she asked if a Maltese worker can take her order, I ensured her that I am in fact Maltese and can take her order myself. She kept refusing to get served by a black person. Shortly after this happened, she left the shop.”

“I am sure that many have experienced much worse than this form of racism. However, even a minor example like this can result in the severe racism that is currently happening in America,” Annarita Aquilina wrote in a Facebook post.

The entire world is trying to get to grips with the shocking execution of unarmed George Floyd. However, racism is still very much part of Malta’s backyard.

Several local celebrities have spoken out, most notably X Factor winner Destiny Chukunyere. She came out strongly against racism, but even she was subject to some vitriolic comments.

Meanwhile, two black Maltese youths, Yannick Yankam and Jacob Walker, were repeatedly subject to racist and derogatory language from one commenter while providing some much-needed context to the complex situation.