PN joins criticism of Ricky Caruana's interview with sex offender
Any attempt to justify the actions of an aggressor amounts to yet another act of aggression against the victim, party says
The Nationalist Party has joined a chorus of criticism over the way podcaster Ricky Caruana gave a platform to an individual who was found guilty of committing sexual harassment.
The controversy involves former footballer Justin Haber, who was interviewed earlier this week, a few days after an appeals court confirmed a judgment in which he was handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for four years, and fined €7,000 for sexually harassing a 14-year-old employee at his Marsaxlokk restaurant between 2020 and 2022.
On Tuesday, Equality parliamentary secretary Rebecca Buttigieg described the podcast interview as “unacceptable”. The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) expressed “serious concern” while the Lisa Marie Foundation said it was “very disturbing". The Malta Women’s Lobby and Victim Support Malta also criticised the podcast.
The Nationalist Party said sexual harassment could never be justified, and it unreservedly condemned any attempt, by whomever it may be, to minimise such cases. The trauma experienced by a victim of sexual harassment did not end with a court sentence, and any attempt to justify the actions of an aggressor amounted to yet another act of aggression against the victim.
"The manner in which Ricky Caruana used his podcast – sponsored, among others, by a government agency – to give a platform to an individual who was found guilty by our courts of committing sexual harassment in order to attempt to cleanse his reputation is condemnable. The role of the media is to educate, inform and provide entertainment, but certainly not to attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of a person who has been found guilty of a criminal offence," the PN said.
"The fact that Ricky Caruana is also a broadcaster on the Public Broadcasting Service places responsibilities upon him even when he is not appearing on the national station – responsibilities which he is failing to uphold."
The party said this was not the first time that this presenter had expressed misogynistic views that were harmful to women. Yet, despite many protests, it appeared that nothing had changed.
The PN statement was signed by Graziella Attard Previ, shadow minister for equality, civil liberties and public broadcasting.