'I was only expressing sadness': Trudy Kerr responds to Ta' Qali libel threat

Updated: 5.46pm

Trudy Kerr has spoken out after being threatened with libel over a video in which she criticised the state of a section of Ta’ Qali National Park.

Kerr, the podcaster and producer of the popular podcast The SHE Word, told Times of Malta on Thursday that her short video, posted last Sunday, was intended only to express her personal “sadness and concern” at seeing a park she has visited for almost two decades covered in gravel.

“This is an area I have visited often over the past 19 years in Malta, and an area I very much love,” Kerr said.

“In the absence of any public information regarding the resurfacing within the vicinity of the public field, I documented my sadness and concern and shared this on my personal platforms.”

She stressed that the video was not directed at any individual or organisation.

“It simply commented on the current situation in Ta’ Qali,” said Kerr.

The video, which was posted on Instagram and Facebook, has since garnered more than 9,000 views.

Micallef, who heads the Ta’ Qali National Park management, took issue with the post and publicly pledged to take Kerr to court.

Writing on Facebook on Wednesday night, Micallef said: “The bullying by some on social media, whose time is up if they don’t want to make money out of it. I will fight it with all my strength. People like the failed and false podcaster Trudy Kerr – their time is over. See you in court, Ms Kerr.”

Park management defends gravel use

Micallef had previously explained that the picnic area was covered in fine material to stop dust in the summer, that the practice was to provide a layer of protection for the soil, and said that grass would still grow once it starts raining again.

As part of the ongoing regeneration works, he said, a layer of imported, coloured gravel, commonly used in public parks abroad, had been spread across the site to prevent dry soil from turning into dust.

Micallef also shared two aerial photographs of the area, which he said were taken during the summer, to show the previously barren, dusty state of the park. He described both images as looking “like a desert of soil”.

In her comments to Times of Malta, Kerr said she wanted to refrain from commenting on Micallef's decision "to pursue a legal route concerning my expressions of concern".

However, she did note that the official explanation from the authorities responsible for the park is that the graveling forms part of a long-term improvement project.

“I will be very happy to report that Ta’ Qali is reinstated to a green site and share the improvements when they have come into fruition,” Kerr added.

“I wholeheartedly appreciate and respect the Prime Minister’s response when questioned that more information concerning the matter would have been beneficial,” Kerr said.

Micallef's announcement that he planned to take legal action against Kerr has been widely criticised. 

Prime Minister distances himself

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela told journalists that the controversy could have been avoided if the use of gravel at Ta’ Qali had been better communicated to the public.

Pressed again about the situation on Thursday, Abela distanced himself from the dispute between Kerr and Micallef. He said both parties had the right to express themselves freely but made clear that he would not have pursued legal action.

“If it were me in the situation, no, I would not have taken it to court. I would give my version of events, the other person would give their version of events, and then let the general public decide,” Abela said.

The issue first sparked public reaction when actor Thomas Camilleri posted side-by-side photographs of the park. One from January 2021 showing green grass, and another from this summer showing a dry and gravelled surface. Camilleri described the area as a “large, safe, green space” during the autumn-to-spring months.

Growing public support

Following Micallef’s threat of legal action against Kerr, she received a wave of public support. Fellow podcaster Jon Mallia pledged €1,000 to help cover any potential legal expenses. By midday on Thursday, the public had raised €3,000 for Kerr through various crowdfunding pledges.

Activist group Vuċi Kollettiva also announced a protest, scheduled to take place on Saturday, at the site in question.

Micallef, however, remains adamant that the criticisms are based on misinformation and fake news.

“Fake news and misinformation are poisoning the society we live in,” he wrote in a follow-up Facebook post.

“If you take legal action against fake news, which is worse than a lie, the usual defenders will accuse you of infringing on freedom of expression. Because now you have the right to lie however you want, and about whomever you want!”

He concluded: “I will not accept this anymore, and therefore I will be taking legal action to defend myself from the gross lie and fake news that spread earlier this week on the picnic area in Ta’ Qali.”

'Unacceptable' - IĠM

The Institute of Journalists has condemned Micallef’s “unacceptable” threats levelled at Kerr saying he “should know better”.

In a statement on Thursday, the IĠM called on the minister “to whom Micallef is answerable to put a stop to this behaviour and ensure that it does not repeat itself”.