Spitting incident ‘not racially motivated,’ says woman's lawyer

The woman at the centre of the spitting incident at the Valletta bus terminus which sparked a raging debate across Malta has insisted that the attack was “not racially motivated”, and that the correct version of events should be seen from the correct perspective.

Speaking to MaltaToday through her lawyer, the 29-year-old waitress, said the attack was “absolutely not racially motivated,” and that she had gone to the police station on Friday out of her own free will.

The police have since confirmed that the woman came forward voluntarily and filed a report on the incident. It is currently unknown whether she would face any charges.

27-year-old Daboma Jack – a father of two currently studying in Malta – was spat at, racially insulted and told to “go back to your country,” as he was trying to organise a queue at the Valletta bus terminus on Wednesday. At this point he reported the incident to a police officer only to be slapped, wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit before being let go.

But according to the woman, the picture painted by Daboma Jack does not present the true version of events. She explained that at the time of the incident, she had been coming back from hospital, accompanied by her mother, after she had been operated on. The jostling of the crowd Mr Jack had been trying to organise had led her to being pushed onto a metal railing.

She alleged that Jack also tried to film her angry reaction. Speaking to MaltaToday, the woman’s lawyer also said that the chemical engineering student had commented that “these things only happen in Malta,” to which she had replied that he was more than welcome to return to his country.

“It is important to put things in the correct perspective,” said the lawyer.

In comments to TVM, the woman had also said that she is not a racist, and that she had been called a prostitute by Daboma Jack. The incident resulted in a raging debate on racism in Malta with social media becoming the platform of several angry and disappointed reactions. In an interview with MaltaToday, the Hungarian student explained that his experience should be a stepping-stone towards creating awareness of the need for dialogue.

“The next step is to move forward. I am the one who was spat at and treated badly … but I believe that is the time to change and to create awareness, and educate people ... To cure ignorance, you need to educate people,” he told MaltaToday.

“I need to create awareness… it’s already difficult being a migrant going to another place. How much more difficult it is when you feel you have to be careful for every step to take… people are conditioned.”