Whatever Charles Xuereb’s (October 6) claimed research findings on the cause of the Maltese uprising against the French, the fact remains that several thousand Maltese are reported to have lost their livesin only two years of that ill-fated occupation.

We have monuments to Manuel Dimech and to the Sette Giugno “martyrs”.  Now weneed at least a monument to the thousands of “martyrs” of our French period.

I reiterate that Xuereb should perhaps spend less energy trying to change emblems on our current national flag and to concentrate more on lobbying for a monument (and perhaps a national holiday) to remind us that the Maltese fight for freedom cost them more lives in only two years of French occupation than in 164 years of British colonial rule.

May I also suggest he desists from condescendingly referring to others that don’t agree with his historical views as “naïve”.