Racist comment sparks off Labour Party club brawl

The spark that caused the argument which resulted in a stabbing incident inside the Labour Party Club in Qormi on November 6 was a racist remark intended to insult the wife of one of the patrons, a court heard today.
The man charged with the attempted murder of Alfred Felice is Alfred Galea, a 46-year-old baker from Qormi who allegedly intervened to defuse the argument which arose between the victim and a third party, only to end up facing criminal proceedings.
Taking the witness stand, the victim testified that he had been drinking at the club on that Sunday afternoon when his wife Sawsen joined him and began to dance. At one point, another patron, Joseph Muscat, went up to the woman and asked her whether she was a Muslim. When the woman answered in the affirmative, Mr Muscat remarked that her God was different from the Christian God, whilst commenting that she ought to wear a veil.

Stepping in for his wife, Mr Felice walked up to Mr Muscat and allegedly told him to mind his own business. At that moment the accused went up to the victim and whipping out his penknife allegedly stabbed him three times in the stomach, the court was told.
Mr Felice retaliated by hitting the...