“Who will protect us?” This is the question Malta’s Black community is asking following the acquittal of Lorin Scicluna in the murder of Lassana Cisse Souleymane.In a powerful statement shared by aditus foundation and endorsed by numerous organisations, members of Malta’s Black community have expressed their fears about racism, safety and whether promises made after Cisse’s killing have translated into meaningful change.“Seven years later, that fear has returned,” the statement reads.On 1st November, a jury acquitted former soldier Lorin Scicluna of murdering Cisse and attempting to murder three other African men. He was found guilty of grievously injuring one of them and driving without registration plates.While acknowledging the independence of the judiciary and the principle that guilt must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, the statement highlights evidence heard during the trial about the deliberate harassment of Black people in Ħal Far.“We are not speaking about an abstract fear of racism. We are speaking about Black people being deliberately targeted because they are Black.”The community is now calling for answers about measures introduced after the 2019 killing, including the effectiveness of hate-crime support services and the implementation of recommendations from an Armed Forces of Malta inquiry into racism.The statement also questions why the full findings of that inquiry have never been made public.“We are not asking for special protection. We are asking for the same protection, dignity and security that every other person in Malta is entitled to expect.”The appeal has been endorsed by organisations including Moviment Graffitti, Repubblika, JRS Malta, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation and the Institute of Maltese Journalists, among others.Its message to Malta’s authorities is clear. The verdict may have been delivered, but the questions surrounding Cisse’s killing remain.“We live here. We belong here. And we have the right to live without fear.”•