A man was fined €300 for a Facebook post saying that Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina should be “stoned in the village square”.

Alan Micallef had posted the contentious comment on social media in reaction to a One News story about the PN MP. 

The accused apologised for the comment on Friday after he was charged in court under summons. Aquilina accepted the apology. 

The court, presided over by Magistrate Ian Farrugia, conditionally discharged the accused for two years and handed him a €300 fine.

The court explained that what the accused had written could have enticed negative behaviour by third parties towards Aquilina.

In a Facebook post, Aquilina said the comment had been posted under a “fake” news story by ONE. 

“No court punishment can fix the damage that such comments inflict. With such comments, society becomes even more intolerant.”

Aquilina appealed to the Labour Party media to stop accepting such remarks, which, he said, created an environment that led to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

“We want a society in which every person can express himself without fear.”

In a separate case against Repubblika president Robert Aquilina on Friday, the accused failed to turn up in spite of having been served notice of summons.

After allowing some time, the court fined Johann Vella €500 for contempt of court and put off the case to later this month. Vella is to be escorted under warrant to the sitting.

The incident stems from a Repubblika protest outside Joseph Muscat’s office during which activists stuck a placard saying ‘Joseph Muscat Prim Korott’.

Vella had posted on social media: “if some clown sticks trash on my property I would hurl a barrel of acid at him,” before adding that Robert Aquilina is “trash.”