The people:

Most of the people there were elderly but with a very fervent spirit, they felt very certain and sure that Muscat was innocent. Some spent 12 hours waiting for Joseph to enter, then exit the court room.

They stood on benches and chanted in unison, the look of passion in their eyes was hard to miss as they shouted in proclamation of Joseph’s innocence. Meanwhile, even those who weren’t fully convinced that he played no part in the corruption pledged their undying allegiance.

They repeated many of his talking points like the €11 million spent on the inquiry, “first was a Russian, now it’s an Indian”, and the accusation that the establishment is trying to tear Labour down.

In the long hours between the accused’s entrance and exit, we waited opposite the court near the monument of the Great Seige to catch some shade. One person was eyeing Tim, my colleague, and soon approached him to have a conversation, I was stood next to them and listened on. He calmly but firmly brought up cases of alleged corruption from the PN government that he feels have gone unpunished, including the construction of Mater Dei and the oil scandal which 12 years on, is still to be resolved.

“Why hasn’t that been closed? Investigate it,” the man urged.

“I’m only telling you this because I respect what you do.”

In general, the crowd viewed Joseph as a family member who had been cheated, much like they felt they had been in the past. Their appreciation toward him for improving their livelihoods was evident and understandable, but it’s this gratitude that seemingly makes it so hard to accept the accusation that he stole from their pockets.

For some of his supporters, that thought is almost inconceivable. This is how he wields the power he does.

The media and the crowd:

There was a strong air of hostility towards the journalists however from what I experienced, there was little threat that violence would break out. No one was spitting or throwing any objects, it was all verbal and most of it wasn’t personal.

Many of the supporters constantly stressed the importance of staying calm and when some did get a little too heated and cross the line, their fellow partisans quickly pulled them back.

While the supporters could not pin-point which media houses we were from: having been accused of being Times, NET, and even ONE journalists – they did put us in the same box accusing everyone of being a mouthpiece for the PN.

“Minn mhux magħna kontra tagħna,” some shouted as we attempted to speak to the crowd –  in part a byproduct of the party’s campaign against the independent media.

However, with some, all they seemed to want was to be listened to by the entity that they perceive demonises them. But, after making it clear that we just wanted to have a conversation, their guards slowly lowered and we engaged in healthy discussion. One person even bought Tim a coffee.

As time passed and energy drained, there were still moments of contention.

When some journalists claimed that Labour supporters had damaged Daphne’s memorial they were visibly offended and the air of hostility quickly returned.

The protestors targeted the journalists who made these reports. Many were angry at the accusation, saying that it was left untouched. Soon the situation escalated and they began targeting the young journalist who posted that clip.

They shouted ‘tgħix biex tigdeb, u tigdeb biex tgħix’ repeatedly at the journalists’ corner, clearly angry at the picture that was painted.

Some elderly protestors got visibly wound up at the media speaking back. A different young journalist maintained that it wasn’t a lie, she said she fixed the memorial herself because she couldn’t stand it in that state. This triggered them even more. Somehow an elderly woman turned to me and assumed I fixed the memorial, I said that I hadn’t and she mocked my demeanor.

At that moment, it was clear that they felt attacked, and this was the retaliation. Eventually, the police asked the protestors to calm down and the journalists began ignoring the angered attendees. It all died down.

As I write this, I’m watching the women sit on a bench five metres away from me smoking cigarettes and laughing with the police.

The police:

As journalists, while we did not want a police officer assigned with us, we did feel very safe that they were there. They were friendly and firm with both the protesters and the public watchdogs, treating us with utmost respect when things got a bit chaotic.

At one point, I even got to talking with a young officer, who opened up about his love for helping and talking to people. The conversation organically morphed into one that was quite deep, as a former mythology student, his thoughts were very interesting. That moment proved to be a nice break for the both of us from the politics and the waiting.

The arrivals:

Crowds were on standby in the areas rumoured to be entrance points of Joseph, Keith, and Konrad.

When they did come through, crowds flocked around them. Konrad and Keith entered at different times from the same point, and they both took moments to absorb the praise. Meanwhile, Muscat went against the grain and unexpectedly walked directly through the crowds, despite whispers that they would all take the same route.

I lunged through the people attempting to get good shots, which wasn’t too difficult as they took time to greet their followers. The former politicians basked in the support.

While in the crowd I was scared of being too forceful but physicality proved not to be something that offended the participants. As I pushed through the people, attempting to follow Muscat and Michelle on their way up to the court someone actually lifted me through to get better access to the scene.

Several false alarms rang as time passed, with people flocking around the court’s steps upon hearing tips that the sitting was over. At one point, young foreigners joined the crowd and asked what was going on. The protestors jokingly urged the young men to vote Labour and encouraged them to join in their chants – which they did in thick Spanish accents.

Once the time came for Joseph and all the accused to make their exit, the atmosphere shifted. Instead of gathering and chanting as had been done several other times when everyone thought it was over, there was an eerie silence as we all waited on the steps. The police were lined up along the entrance of the court, dramatically lit by the cameras’ lights. A spot in the centre was saved for Joseph.

When he came out, the crowd erupted once again in supportive declarations, but Joseph seemed a lot less keen to hear their excitement. He asked them to quiet down before he gave a quick comment – his demeanour was uncharacteristically solemn.

Overall, the feeling was that, through thick and thin, these protestors will support Joseph despite how damning and personal the accusations are. They have not resigned to the idea he stole from them, and they probably never will. But there’s a reason for this which should not be forgotten.