The woman photographed in the Hungarian student Daboma Jack racial abuse incident last Wednesday has turned herself in to the police and is being questioned.

The police said today the 29-year-old woman is from Valletta. They said they were still working to establish the facts.

They said yesterday they have been inundated with “incorrect” reports claiming Mr Jack’s assailant was a blonde woman who appears in footage showing his brief arrest.

The police media unit said on Thursday officers had received several descriptions of the woman who racially assaulted Mr Jack. However, none of them tallied with the person they believed was the culprit.

Mr Jack was spat at three times and slapped by a woman as a policeman stood on and watched as chaos ensued at the Valletta bus terminal during the chaotic launch of the Tallinja bus cards.

Speaking after a meeting with Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli during which she apologised “on behalf of the Maltese” for the incident, Mr Jack said he has experienced more racist encounters than he cares to remember during his year in Malta and wants the government to use his case to raise awareness about black equality.

“I have been through too many bad experiences here to start recounting; not just one or two but several. I have been treated with prejudice in Malta, like many other black people... Now I want to make a difference. I want to improve the situation,” he told Times of Malta.

Mr Jack said he appreciated the minister’s gesture but expected more than an apology. What he wants is “change”.

“I am happy with the apology, of course. But I want action not words. I want to see something being done to make a difference and improve the situation,” he said.

He was spat at three times and slapped by an unknown Maltese woman (see box) as a policeman stood on and watched as chaos ensued at the Valletta bus terminal during the chaotic launch of the Tallinja bus cards.

‘I cried because people cheered’

Looking back at the incident Mr Jack said his emotions were still raw.

“I cried when I was arrested. I cried because the people saw everything that happened and they cheered. They sent out the message that ‘yes we are supporting this’,” he said, adding that he was particularly hurt that his 15-month-old daughter witnessed the entire ordeal.

What worried Mr Jack even more, however, was what he described as “the fear in the eyes” of other black people gathered at the Valletta bus terminal that day.

These, he said, did nothing to help while he was racially assaulted and arrested, not because they did not want to but because they were “too frightened” to speak up.

“I saw them, the other black people gathered there, they just looked at me but didn’t do anything, even though they wanted to. This says a lot about the situation in Malta,” he said.

The other black people gathered there just looked at me but didn’t do anything, even if they wanted to. This says a lot about the situation in Malta

After his brief arrest, the social media became the stage for a raging equality debate, prompting a mixture of apologies, anger and even racism.

The online story became the day’s most read piece on Times of Malta as Facebook was littered with posts expressing anger and disappointment both at the police as well as at the woman who allegedly assaulted him.

Asked about the public’s reaction, Mr Jack said he was overwhelmed by the support and wanted to use his new-found publicity to shine a spotlight on equal rights.

“Now that people have seen that there is a problem of equal rights and are speaking about it, I want to raise awareness.

“The government and NGOs should use me as a vessel for this. I want to be the spark that shines the light. This is my mission now,” he said.

 

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