The core grievances at the heart of the Sette Giugno uprising of 1919 are again echoing in modern-day Malta, Momentum has warned in a statement commemorating the national holiday.
“On this day in 1919, the Maltese people, driven by desperation over soaring food prices and stagnant wages, rose up in protest against the colonial authorities. The core of their grievance was simple: a day’s work could no longer guarantee a family’s daily bread.
“Now, over a century later, the echoes of their cries resonate in our communities. While the circumstances are different, the fundamental anxiety of making ends meet is a familiar burden for at least one out of four in our country,” it said.
Momentum noted rising poverty rates and concerns about the cost of basic necessities climbing and placing a burden on household budgets.
“For a sizable amount of our population, wages are struggling to keep pace, creating a modern-day reality where the fear of falling behind is a constant presence,” Momentum chairman Arnold Cassola said.
Cassola noted that the Sette Giugno uprising had shaken Malta into taking steps towards self-governance.
“When the economic foundations of a society are shaken, the people will demand to be heard,” Cassola said. “This raises a crucial and uncomfortable question for our time: Do we have to undergo an economic crisis for people to rise up and fight for the rights of the community?”
Cassola said he hoped the spirit of Sette Giugno would prove to be “a catalyst for dialogue and action, not a prelude to another socio-economic crisis”.