A group of protesters from Moviment Graffitti jumped the barricades in front of Vittoriosa's Freedom Day monument and tried to lie on the ground as a sign of protest against the presence of warships in Malta.
Police scrambled into action, dragging the protesters from the road, as Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi arrived to take part in the annual Freedom Day wreath-laying ceremony. One of the protesters, Lana Turner, was dragged to a police car. She was released some time later and the police said nobody was arrested.
Back behind the barricades, the group of young people - wearing white T-shirts splattered with red paint, with the words Warships = Death handwritten in black - shouted that allowing warships in Malta made the island an accomplice in war.
"No to warships," they shouted, adding that Malta should not be America's puppet.
In the background, the ceremony continued as planned, with President Eddie Fenech Adami inspecting the guard of honour and, together with Dr Gonzi, laying a wreath in front of the monument in one of the last official activities before his Presidency comes to an end on Saturday.
Amid heightened police presence, Moviment Graffitti held an impromptu press conference, insisting it was hypocritical to celebrate Malta's freedom when warships still arrived in the island's ports, signifying a strong presence of foreign military forces.
Andre Callus, a movement spokesman, said 56 warships entered Malta's harbours last year, 53 of which came from Nato members. Another 12 military ships, all from Nato-affiliated countries, have entered so far this year.
"Freedom Day commemorates the important date when Malta was liberated from the presence of foreign military forces in our country and started the road that was supposed to lead it to be a country which promotes peace in the Mediterranean and around the world," he said.
"We strongly believe such a strong presence of foreign military power goes against this fundamental principle, which is also encrypted in our Constitution," he said.
The movement also claimed the police used excessive force to move them from the road, where they wanted to emulate dead people during a war in a symbolic protest. They also claimed a person in civilian clothing kicked some of them.
Dorianne Apap, a 20-year-old from Żabbar, showed abrasions on her back, claiming they were caused when she was dragged on the ground.
In a statement issued in the afternoon, the police said officers took immediate action by getting the protestors off the ground and "accompanying" them behind the barriers.
There was no mention to claims of excessive force made by the protesters and questions sent to the police about this were not answered yesterday.