Updated 9.05pm, adds Commissioner clarification

The Commissioner for Children has asked the police to investigate the "intimidation and harassment" of people, in particular children attending a play at the ŻiguŻajg festival. 

The move comes after Spazju Kreattiv hired security when members of ultra-conservative Partit Abba recorded a play and workshop on gender fluidity and asked questions to the children present, ADPD said in a statement. 

Abba had said it would be seeking legal advice whether it could institute any action against the performance aimed at schoolchildren. 

ADPD international secretary Mina Jack Tolu sent a letter to the Commissioner for Children after attending the performance. 

Commissioner Antoinette Vassalli has now informed ADPD that although it could not investigate an alleged crime, it had relayed the complaint to the police. 

Tolu said: "I thank the office of the commission for their response and recognising the gravity of this situation by asking the police to investigate".

ADPD general secretary Ralph Cassar said the "cancel culture" of the far-right does not belong in this pluralism.

"We have no tolerance for hate of any kind."

In a clarification later, the Office of the Commissioner for Children said it was asked to investigate the alleged intimidation of children attending the event by ABBA.

Since intimidation is a criminal offence, it referred the complaint to the police.

"Every person has the right to freely express his/her opinion without fearing intimidation or being subject to intimidatio," it said.

It added that whereas it had received several concerns from parents regarding the possible effect of the contents this play might have on their children, it did not receive any complaints from parents or other adults accompanying children, who directly witnessed or were subjected to any form of intimidation while in attendance.