Maltese actress and #OccupyJustice activist Pia Zammit told a court on Monday that of all the insults she had received in the past two years, being called a Nazi was the worst.

She was testifying in libel proceedings over a front-page story, published in August by It-Torċa, linking her to Nazism.

The story was based on a photo of Ms Zammit in Nazi costume, one of “hundreds of photos” taken backstage during theatre performances, linked to a production of the wartime comedy ’Allo ’Allo, a popular BBC sitcom of the 70s, staged at the Manoel Theatre back in 2009.

Ms Zammit had landed the role of Michelle Dubois, a member of the French Resistance, whose role was to trap the Nazis and save the French people.

“It was all about fighting the SS,” Ms Zammit said, when explaining the background to the photo which sparked the whole controversy.

“Nowhere am I referred to as an actor. I was on the front page. Just my photo,” said Ms Zammit, explaining under cross-examination, that although the photo “taken alone” was not controversial, it became so when taken “in context”.

It all started on August 14 when an email from It-Torċa editor Victor Vella was sent to #Occupy Justice asking for a reaction as to whether the message conveyed by Ms Zammit’s photo was in conformity to the message of the organisation.

Since, at the time, she was abroad, she was alerted to the email by a friend who explained to Mr Vella that the photo was a backstage snapshot and said that Ms Zammit would reply to his question in writing.

That reply was issued by way of a Facebook status by Ms Zammit who gave the background to the picture and clearly stated that “it was very dangerous to equate a role with an actress’ personal life. Kindly desist.”

But It-Torċa did not.

On August 18, Ms Zammit’s “controversial” photo landed on the newspaper’s front page, accompanied by an article on page 6.

“Controversial because you made it so,” said the actress when testifying in court, going on to explain how that story had been shared and commented upon by many, including Sergio Galea Vincenti and Tony Zarb, besides being shared by Mr Vella on his personal Facebook page.

“I received a number of comments and insults because of that sharing,” Ms Zammit said.

A week later, the story made another front-page appearance and she was ‘accused’ of offending the public by posing in Nazi paraphernalia, the actress explained.

Following that, on September 1, the newspaper published an article "Pia Zammit and the Swastika," penned by Desmond Zammit Marmarà, the morale of which was that people in glass houses should not throw stones, Ms Zammit said.

The message being sent out by It-Torċa was that Ms Zammit, an #Occupy Justice activist, was a Nazi, “cementing that status” by publishing the photo on the front page, 10 years after the performance, the actress went on. 

Facing questions by Mr Vella’s lawyer, Aron Mifsud Bonnici, Ms Zammit explained that she was one of the people behind #Occupy Justice, which was a slogan and not a group, whose message was to “fight for truth and justice”.

She was also one of the administrators of the #Occupy Justice Facebook page, Ms Zammit said.

“I have a personal email and contact details out there. Why go through the inbox of #Occupy Justice?” Ms Zammit questioned.

Labelling her photo as “controversial,” and publishing it on the front page, made the story libellous, the actress explained. As for the second publication of August 25, “most of it was libellous - from the title to the use of the term posing,” Ms Zammit said.

“I’m being accused of offending people by posing in Nazi paraphernalia. That’s a lie. It was a photo in my costume and props… I object to the use of the word “pose”. It was a dress rehearsal while costumes were being adjusted. I didn’t stop to pose,” she stressed.

The case continues.

Meanwhile, a second libel suit against Sergio Galea Vincenti is to be ceded by Ms Zammit after her lawyer, Joseph Zammit Maempel and the respondent’s lawyer, Mark Vassallo, informed the court that the parties had reached an amicable settlement of over €1,000 in damages. 

Mr Galea Vincenti had also penned an apology. 

Magistrate Rachel Montebello presided over the libel cases.