Watch: We Are All To Blame For Bernice Cassar’s Murder, Feminist Activist Says
Feminist activist Pia Micallef has issued a scathing assessment of Maltese society in the wake of Bernice Cassar’s murder, warning that “we are all to blame” for the homicide.
“When scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, I noticed many people saying RIP and sending their thoughts and prayers,” Micallef, who is also an assistant of PL MEP Cyrus Engerer, said. “However, your thoughts and prayers and your RIPs won’t get us anywhere at all.”
She said that if people are truly disappointed at the murder, they should start by calling out their friends’ micro and macro aggressions.
“I’m tired of people going straight to social media to say RIP when things like this happen but then staying silent when their friends say something disgusting about women. I am saying something controversial here, but we are all to blame for the murder.”
She added that she was shocked to see people questioning whether Cassar might have done something to trigger her murderer, who is believed to be her estranged husband.
“Maybe I don’t understand Maltese society or I’m seeing the wrong comments…”
Cassar was murdered this morning in Raħal Ġdid after an argument occurred at Kordin’s industrial estate. Her husband fled the scene and took refuge in the family’s home, and negotiations between him and police have been going on for hours.
After the murder, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri confirmed that Cassar had reported her husband to the police last May and the police subsequently pressed charges against him.
However, the courts proceeded at a sluggish pace and scheduled the first sitting for November 2023, although they issued a protection order in her favour when she filed an urgent application in August.
Do you agree with Micallef’s assessment?