Updated at 2.15 pm with PN and PL reactions
The Institute of Maltese Journalists has urged the police to take action after a man was filmed bodychecking a ONE journalist as he questioned MP Toni Bezzina earlier this week.
In a statement issued on Friday, the IĠM condemned the incident and noted that it was the second incident involving journalists and the PN flagged to it in the past weeks.
“At no point has the Nationalist Party condemned these incidents in public,” the IĠM said.
“The IĠM urges political parties to take responsibility for the actions of the people that gravitate around their officials and representatives and call out any wrongdoing. These incidents should not be tolerated. Political parties should ensure journalists are able to perform their duties without harassment,” it said.
The incident in question occurred on Tuesday evening outside parliament, when Francesco Borg, a reporter with Labour-owned ONE News questioned MP Toni Bezzina as he exited parliament.
As Bezzina walked away, a passerby walked in from the side and bodychecked the journalist, knocking him out of the way with his shoulder.
ONE News had also complained about another incident involving Nolan Camilleri, another ONE News journalist, outside parliament in November. On that occasion, Camilleri was blocked from questioning PN leader Bernard Grech.
In its statement on Friday, the IĠM said it was informed that a police report had been filed concerning this week’s incident. It urged the police to act on that report and offered its solidarity to the ONE journalist affected and “all journalists who face bullying tactics while on the job.”
In a reply to Times of Malta questions, the Nationalist Party expressed its regrets that the journalist was disturbed while he was performing his duties.
“The Nationalist Party has always shown and will continue to show full cooperation with journalists so that they are in a position to fulfil their important role during the activities organised by the party.”
In a statement, the Labour Party called out the double standards of the opposition, stating how it talks about freedom of expression and then bullies journalists at political events.
“Bernard Grech’s PN talks about freedom of expression and rule of law, but at its events, it bullies and manhandles journalists who ‘dared’ ask questions to Bernard Grech and his MP Toni Bezzina,” the statement reads.
The PL expressed its solidarity with Camilleri and Borg.