The presenter of a controversial TVM show that saw the promotion of a Hitler propaganda biography has apologised following public outrage.
“To those who felt offended by what was said during this interview… I apologise and I hope that we will not have episodes like this one in the future,” Ħajjitna Ktieb presenter John Demanuele told TVM.
Demanuele was referring to an interview with author Ronald Bugeja who appeared on national broadcaster TVM to promote his book Mein Führer Adolf Hitler – L-Istorja u l-Bijografija.
In the interview, Bugeja defended Hitler by claiming that the Axis leader had no knowledge of the “atrocities” carried out during World War 2 and that he managed to “expel all the Jews from Germany without killing a single person”.
Demanuele explained that the programme’s intentions have always been to speak to authors and to get their reactions regarding their own work.
“There were those that felt offended by the programme's content,” he said while clarifying that the episode also saw the pair discuss three of Bugeja’s books, one of which being the Hitler biography.
Meanwhile, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici condemned Bugeja for his comments on Twitter.
“Any content directly or indirectly defending Adolf Hitler or promoting Nazi propoganda is absolutely condemnable,” Bonnici said.
The minister has not been the only one to air his opinions on Bugeja’s stance towards the Third Reich leader.
In the book, Bugeja attributes special thanks to the National Book Council (NBC), a credit they were unaware of and have since sought legal advice on the matter.
“On behalf of the National Book Council, I want to firmly dissociate from the author, this book and its contents,” NBC president Mark Camilleri said while emphasising that the council did neither fund nor promote the biography.
Association of writers PEN Malta said it was “shocked and disgusted” at TVM for serving as a “pulpit for Nazi ideas”.
Since the backlash, TVM has removed the episode of Ħajjitna Ktieb, while the book is no longer available on Agenda Bookshop’s website.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, Bugeja stood by his work, saying he never intended to offend any “religion, party, or people”.
“I condemn all Nazi atrocities, I do not agree with them at all,” he said.
“I felt terrible when I saw the headlines – I didn’t do the interview to promote Nazi propaganda, but to explain the story with a new perspective.”