7th of June

7th of June (MLT) History

7th of June in Malta commemorates the 1919 riots of the Maltese people against British rule. The Maltese people demanded representative government on the island and were subsequently granted a Constitution in 1921. The day also serves to honour and remember the four people who were killed when British troops fired their weapons into the crowd. Malta remained under British rule until independence in 1964.

7th of June is celebrated annually on 7 June in an effort to remember the struggle and sacrifice of the Maltese people in the formation of their nation.

Top 9 Facts for 2026 7th of June (MLT) in the EU

• The holiday commemorates the tragic events of June 7, 1919, when British troops fired into a crowd of Maltese protestors during a period of intense social unrest known as Sette Giugno.
• A primary catalyst for the uprising was the skyrocketing price of bread following World War I, an economic crisis that left much of the local population facing starvation while grain importers were accused of profiteering.
• The four men initially recognized as martyrs of the movement—Manwel Attard, Ġużè Bajada, Wenzu Dyer, and Carmelo Abela—are honored annually with official wreath-laying ceremonies at the Sette Giugno monument in Valletta.
• The historical significance of the riots is often linked to the subsequent granting of the Amery-Milner Constitution in 1921, which gave the Maltese people their first meaningful form of representative self-government.
• Public interest in the holiday has been bolstered by the 2021 historical drama film Blood on the Crown, which stars Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell and depicts the political tensions of the 1919 uprising.
• One of the specific incidents that ignited the violence involved a crowd forcibly removing a Maltese flag defaced with a Union Jack from a flagpole at a business called A la Ville de Londres.
• The event is distinguished as one of only five official national days in the country, a status formalised by the Maltese Parliament through the National Holidays and Other Public Holidays Act of 1989.
• While the four main victims are the focus of most memorials, historians often note that two additional men, Ċikku Darmanin and Toni Caruana, also died from their injuries in the months following the riots but are less frequently mentioned in standard accounts.
• The commemorative Sette Giugno monument currently resides in St. George’s Square, though it was famously moved to Hastings Gardens for several years before being returned to its original historical location in 2016.

In the News and Trending in the EU for 7th of June

7th of June Top Events and Things to Do

• Attend the riot commemoration held in Valetta. This is one of the best ways to pay your respects to the four fallen. It is followed by a wreath laying ceremony on the Sette Giugno monument in the city.
• Spread awareness on social media by using the hashtags #7thofJune, #SetteGiugno and #FreeingMalta.
• Watch a documentary that depicts a riot for change. Some of our favourites are: Riot Night, Riots and Revolution, The Square, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom and The Other Side of Brazil’s World Cup.
• Visit the graves of the four Maltese citizens who were killed by British soldiers during the riots. The graves are located at Addolorata cemetery, which is near Valetta. It is a great opportunity to see where the heroes are buried and take in some local culture at the same time.
• Read a book about Malta and its history. Some of our favourites are: Death in Malta, The Jukebox Queen of Malta, and Malta Tales.