[WATCH] ‘Patriots harassed me on Facebook for doing my civic duty’

Queen's Young Leaders meet with Prime Minister at Castille • Video by Ray Attard

Sara Ezabe, the Maltese 19-year-old law student honoured as a Queen’s Young Leader by Queen Elizabeth, said she suffered online discrimination because of her religion after the Pegida-style organisation Ghaqda Patrijotti Maltin posted a photo of her in Facebook groups, followed by a series of racist comments underneath.

Ezabe, who together with Annabelle Xerri were selected for the Queen’s Young Leaders award, said that she has received enormous support from the public and the media.

The two young Maltese who were chosen as the Queen’s Young Leaders and recognized as being exceptional leaders in their community, met the Prime Minister at Castille this morning.

Joseph Muscat met 28-year-old Annabelle Xerri from Ghajnsielem who has been selected in recognition of her work promoting equal opportunities for the deaf community in her country, and 19-year-old Sara Ezabe from Gzira who has been acknowledged for her commitment to creating a more inclusive society.

In comments to the media, Sara said that her urge to act and promote diversity emerged when she started noticing racist and discriminatory comments on Facebook.

The Prime Minister said that Sara was “an online hero” who fought for her right to equality. 

28-year-old Annabelle Xerri called for more sign-language teaching in the island of Gozo. She lost her ability to hear when she was six. This helped her to be able to talk and understand when other persons are speaking to her.

The Prime Minister praised their efforts and called them “a symbol of the new Malta, where people don’t sit and wait for their rights, but are willing to fight for them.”