Valletta supporters, B’kara president complain of excessive force in Ta’ Qali arrest

Football fans have rallied around in support of an 18-year-old Valletta supporter, who was arrested by police on suspicion of having lit a flare at the Ta’ Qali national stadium while celebrating Valletta’s first goal against Hamrun Spartans on Saturday.    

A video posted on Facebook was said to “clearly show” that Jesmark Farrugia, of Marsa, was not the one who lit the flair, which was already lit up on the ground when Farrugia was apprehended picking it up and carrying it away.

Birkirkara FC president Adrian Delia also joined in the chorus of solidarity towards the accused.

“It is apparent that excessive force was used against this young man, something that has not been given much prominence. The most worrying aspect of it all is that the police uses all its force to arraign someone in less than 24 hours over a flare that did not hurt anyone, but we’ve heard nothing so far of more serious accusations of match-fixing during a Malta match weeks ago.”

Mobile phone footage of arrest: some language edited out of audio

In court, Jesmark Farrugia was also accused of resisting arrest and of relapsing, to which he pleaded not guilty.

Inspector Elliot Magro told the court that the police had approached the accused after he lit up a flare, only for him to escape. The police later caught up with the accused, only for the youth to continue resisting arrest. Farrugia was also said to have grabbed a police officer’s genitals in a bid to escape his captors.

He was granted bail against a deposit of €10,000 and was banned from going to all football stadiums.