A group of some 50 Libyan residents in Malta and a number of Maltese who work in Libya held what was described as being a 'march of anger' in Valletta this afternoon to protest against the Swiss blacklist of 188 senior Libyan officials, including Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the Swiss referendum decision to ban the building of new minarets.

The demonstration, which was peaceful, started at City Gate and proceeded down St Paul Street to the offices of the European Union Representation and the European Parliament, where a protest letter was handed in.

The demonstration was organised The International Organisation of Births League of the Great Al Fatah. The Imam of the local Muslim Community also attended.

Some of those present carried placards in Arabic and Maltese protesting over the Swiss decision.

The Maltese workers protested that the Swiss blacklist and the Libyan retaliation by stopping visas to all travellers from Schengen area countries was threatening their job.

The letter accused Switzerland of being a racist crusader and of insulting the Prophet Mohammed.

"The Moslem masses around the world have the right to refuse and encounter these distortions and misleading attempts to insult the true Islamic religion, our gracious Prophet and our sacred Islamic sites," the letter read.

"We declare today, in front of the world, that we reject those racist schemes and spiteful crusades. We shall encounter those who try to harm our orthodox Islamic religion and the demolition of the minarets. We shall take the necessary procedures to confront these spiteful deeds on an individual basis in defence of our Islamic religion and the message of our gracious Prophet."

They also reiterated Col Gaddafi's call to boycott Switzerland economically.

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