Malta, 13 September 2018. A group of environmental protestors were violently evicted from a Planning Authority meeting. After demanding answers that had been previously promised to them, police stormed in and violently removed the activists from the building resulting in injuries that even drew blood.

Their crime? Protesting.

There is something terrifying happening in Malta at the moment and it is creeping up on the population like the tendencies of a narcissistic lover. At first you do not notice it, little things raise an eyebrow here and there but you dismiss it and blame it on paranoia.

Then things start to get worse, you start to feel oppressed and abused, hurt and scared, but the narcissist tells you it is all in your head, that you are crazy, and that you are making it all up.

You almost believe them, but then one day they hit you and the pain wakes you from your comatose existence and you realise that you are stuck. Caught in a trap, manipulated, abused, broken, and powerless to help yourself- they are in complete control and all you can think to yourself is “how did I get there?”.

This is what is happening with Malta and fascism.

The Labour Party rises to power and slowly, slowly they install their goons in every aspect of the public and private sector. Property developers, big businesses, authorities and government agencies, banks, police, and even media outlets – no stone is left unturned when it comes to positioning their soldiers who are just waiting for battle.

Then comes the subtle indications; scandals, rumours of wrongdoing, proof of wrongdoing, and blatant flouting of the laws to the detriment of everyone else. But they remain charming and they greet their brainwashed crowds with fake smiles and greedy eyes – their power is absolute and their followers are so blinded with love (or hate for the other) that they cannot see the reality of what is going on.

Then comes the gaslighting- “fake news”, discrediting journalists and activists, blatant lies, manipulation, bribery, threats and campaigns of hate against those that dare to stand up to them. They mobilise their minions and make them mindlessly do their bidding, taking to social media in droves and destroying anything and anyone in their wake.

But this is not enough, because people are still asking questions, civil society is still pushing for the truth, and a small percentage of people refuse to sit back and watch the country burn.

https://www.facebook.com/movimentgraffitti/videos/409551296240600/

So, next comes the violence. The country’s leading and boldest independent journalist is murdered, the investigation is bungled, and the three hit men suspected of killing her have every chance of getting away with it. Also, the enquiry into who ordered her assassination stops there.

The country passes through a few weeks of mourning, PL supporters included, almost as if they had been instructed to be nice, just for a bit, so the blame for her murder could not be attributed to them.

Now the gloves are off; droves of brainwashed zombies trawl the online world, stamping out any dissident who dares to raise his head. Journalists are threatened, hate campaigns are cultivated, lies are spread, death threats fly, and no one in a position of power does a single thing about it.

A monument to the slain journalist is boarded off by the State to stop people from laying flowers or candles there. Trolls become bolder and more aggressive, and people are unsure of what is to come next.

There is no part of society that is left undamaged and untainted by the increasingly authoritarian iron grip of this personality cult. The only thing that the hopeful has to hang onto is the fact that they can protest.

They can stand up, take to the streets, and peacefully demand their rights. They can attend public meetings to ask pertinent questions and demand the answers that they are entitled to by law.

What happened on Thursday wasn’t about the rights or the wrongs of them being there, it wasn’t about their drums, and it was nothing to do with the topic at hand; it was designed to warn anyone that is considering standing up to protest – we are not scared to use violence against you.

This is not the first time this tactic has been used in Europe but it is clear that Malta is now becoming a fascist State (some argue it’s there already). While the majority of the population does not give a damn, the ones that do care are being violently subdued.

Those who support this approach may not yet have realised that history shows that, if unchecked, the oppression and intimidation tends to get worse with time, and it will hit more and more people.

The death of a journalist has still not woken people up to the state of the nation because they are being brainwashed into thinking she deserved it.

While it may be convenient thinking, the situation is getting worse.