Fake News? Seven Absolutely Unbelievable Things To Happen In Malta in 2020
We really don’t think 2020 could get any crazier if it tried. From a relentless pandemic to calls for social reforms all over the globe, we’ve been finding it hard to distinguish fact from fiction.
To show you just how ridiculous this year has been, we’ve come up with a little game, and the rules are pretty simple. Just read the headline and decide whether it’s a feisty fact or a ludicrous lie. The correct answer’s right under the headline, so no peeking!
Here we go!
1. Hundreds of people gathered during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
TRUE! (although we kind of wish it wasn’t)
After Floriana FC were crowned champions of this year’s Maltese Premier League, a crowd gathered at the Floriana granaries less than 500 metres away from the Police HQ. This happened despite the social distancing laws that were in place at the time, which stipulated that there couldn’t be any more than six people in the same group. Luckily enough, no cases of COVID-19 are known to have emerged from these celebrations.
*Sigh*
2. The statue of Queen Victoria was taken down after pressure from protesters
FALSE!
Whilst many have spoken in favour of getting rid of the Queen Victoria statue in Valletta, there currently seem to be no plans set in stone for it to be removed. Calls for the removal of the statue were sparked following ample protests in the US and the UK, which have sometimes resulted in the destruction or defacing of controversial monuments.
The Queen Victoria statue was targeted in particular because of the British-colonial history that it supposedly represents.
3. A police officer faced disciplinary proceedings after posting a TikTok video
TRUE!
After filming herself dancing to a popular TikTok track, local police officer Francesca Zahra saw her clip making waves on social media. Viewers were pretty split about this, with some claiming she was just having some harmless fun, whilst others saying it was reflective of the local police force’s inaction in light of bigger injustices.
Following the online backlash that the police officer faced, an online petition was set up urging the police force to refrain from punishing Zahra – and it managed to rack up more than 6,000 signatures.
We couldn’t make this up if we tried.
4. Msida registered the best air quality score in six years
TRUE!
After registering worryingly high air pollution rates for months on end, Msida broke its unhealthy streak with an air quality index score of 14. This all went down on 19th March, a public holiday, wherein many people seemed to have followed the health authorities’ advice and stayed indoors.
Now that’s a win-win situation if you ask us.
5. Malta chose the Olive Pizza as the best pastizzeria food
TRUE!
The traditional Maltese pastizzi were no match for this oily delight in an online food tournament which sought to determine the supreme pastizzeria item. The final round, which saw the ‘Pizza taż-Żebbuġ’ go up against the controversial ‘Piżelli Pastizz’, saw the former reign supreme with a whopping 1,400 votes.
Yeah, we never saw that coming either.
6. Tripoli was visible from Dingli on a particularly clear day
FALSE!
That might have been a bit far-fetched, but we did see Mount Etna from a couple of spots all over Malta (and Gozo). In a bout of exceptionally good visibility, many took to Facebook to post some gorgeous images of the Sicilian volcano, which was reportedly visible to the naked eye from Gozo, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, and Buġibba.
So much for 20/20 vision.
7. Melita scored a 9.1/10 customer satisfaction score
TRUE!
As of 2017, Melita’s customer satisfaction ratings have shot up, with practically every year since then witnessing a substantial increase in their already-high ratings – but don’t take our word for it.
These ratings have all gone through the internationally trusted website Nicereply. Melita have averaged 8.9/10 since 2018, but in 2020, after constant and close correspondence with the general public, they managed to kick their ratings up to 9.1 earlier this year. Impressive, right?
They have also implemented a set of promises to all customers and they are just what we needed to hear.