Equality Minister Owen Bonnici has condemned an outpouring of abuse towards a cartoonist after she posted a caricature of former prime minister Joseph Muscat.
In comments to Times of Malta after a conference on hate speech, Bonnici said there was “no room for any kind of hate speech”, after cartoonist Miriam Galea faced a barrage of online trolls calling her a “whore” and a “witch bitch” among other insults.
Galea had uploaded caricatures of Muscat and his wife Michelle, inspired by Michelle Muscat’s recent social media posts and a Times of Malta investigation which revealed that the former prime minister was sent €60,000 for consultancy fees by a Swiss company which had received money from Steward Health Care.
“I condemn any discourse that incites hatred or violence, wherever it comes from. I give my full support to every person who experiences hate speech, no matter who they are,” Bonnici said in reference to the incident.
“Unfortunately, there are various instances of hate speech that destroy the concept of equality, which holds respect and tolerance at its heart. Speech that incites violence achieves the opposite of that.”
Bonnici on Thursday faced criticism from activists after addressing the conference, having been condemned by a court for breaching activists’ right to freedom of speech.
In 2018, when public cleansing fell under his responsibility, Bonnici repeatedly ordered workers to clear the memorial set up in tribute to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia opposite the law courts in Valletta.
Blogger and activist Manuel Delia won a constitutional case against Bonnici and his ministry, arguing that the systematic removal of placards, photos, flowers and candles left by activists was a breach of their right to freedom of expression.
The conference, about combatting and preventing hate speech, was organised by the European Commission representation in Malta and the German embassy.
“This morning, the minister who ordered my mother’s memorial to be cleared every night is giving an EU-sponsored lecture on hate speech. What a farce,” Caruana Galizia’s son, Matthew said in a tweet.
Delia too weighed in on the irony of the situation, comparing the minister’s presence at the event to “Genghis Khan lecturing on world peace”.
“I am reminded of how his actions and policies enabled and empowered thugs and bullies to repeatedly harass protesters. My wife wasn’t the only one to be physically assaulted and have her property destroyed near the memorial by thuggish fans of Owen Bonnici,” he wrote in a blog post.
In his defence, Bonnici said he had respected the court’s decision on his actions about the memorial.
“On that particular incident, the court has pronounced itself. I respected that decision and the country has kept moving on with more reform,” Bonnici said when asked.
“These reforms are positive and good, so much so that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen praised them as an important step in the right direction.”