Sette Giugno (from Italian for "Seventh of June") is a Maltese national holiday celebrated annually on 7 June. It commemorates events which occurred on that day in 1919 when, following a series of riots by the Maltese population, British troops fired into the crowd, killing four peoples. This led to increased resistance to the colonial government and support for the pro-Italian irredentists that had challenged the British presence on the island.