Sette Giugno is one of Malta's national days celebrated annually on the 7th of June, to mark the events that took place on the same day of June 1919, when riots precipitated by the economic state of Malta post-World War I resulted in the death of four civilian protestors by British servicemen.
Following the end of The Great War the cost of living in Malta rose considerably as insufficient supplies of basic food provisions led to high food prices. Minimal wage increases were not enough to sustain the ever- increasing price of food. This, along with the perception that grain importers and flour millers were profiteering, led to very determinative political pressures. On Saturday, June 7, 1919, the Malta National Assembly was scheduled to re-convene to deliberate a resolution for submission to the Imperial government. The uprising started as protestors broke into a store, "A la Ville de Londres", so as to remove the Union Jack which was considered to have 'defaced' the Maltese flag. The crowd continued their rebellion as they devasted prominent buildings like the Officers' Club, the Meteorological offices in the Royal Air Force turret and the offices of the Daily Malta Chronical.
In response to the police request for additional support, just 64 soldiers were deployed from the British battalions to supress a mob of thousands. In the midst of confrontation, Manwel Attard, ¿e Bajada and Lorenzo Dyer lost their lives that afternoon while Carmelo Abela was fatally stuck with a bayonet the following day. The Sette Giugno events ultimately led to Malta being given control over local affairs guaranteed by the Amery-Milner Constitution.
On the 21st March 1989, Malta recognised the events of Sette Giugno by marking the day as one of the five national days of Malta.
