Former V18 artistic director Mario Philip Azzopardi is no stranger to the public outcry that greets his impromptu attacks on women. It therefore came as no surprise when the public reacted with outrage at the recent social media post by Azzopardi, in which he vilified MEP Roberta Metsola by making the sweeping claim that “everybody hates her”.
The post drew comments from subsequent individuals who labelled Metsola a “traitor” and other epithets, in rapidly escalating displays of invective.
In contrast to the public outcry, the nation’s authorities have remained conspicuous by their silence. Seemingly unwilling or unable to reign in the vitriolic excesses of Azzopardi, Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rosianne Cutajar was one voice to brave the air of institutional discretion. Cutajar condemned the attacks on Metsola as “disgusting”, while MEP David Casa called on Culture Minister José Herrera to halt funding to Azzopardi’s company and to condemn the attacks.
A few days ago, Herrera decided to distance himself from the responsibility of having to condemn the tirade.
He pointed out that Azzopardi has a “cooperative agreement with Teatru Manoel”, implying that the theatre’s board of directors were responsible for some kind of response.
When the Manoel Theatre did finally release a statement, it ambivalently denounced Azzopardi’s behaviour in principle but gave no indication that its board would take any action to prevent it from happening again.
It shall happen again until the gender-based abuse being hurled by Azzopardi is effectively identified for what it is
As it shall happen again until the gender-based abuse being hurled by Azzopardi is effectively identified for what it is and no longer tolerated in professional or domestic spheres of life.
The public response to Azzopardi’s post proves that Maltese society has, by and large, grown impatient with misogyny. The legitimate onslaught of criticism raised by civil society and individuals in public life have cut across the political spectrum, uniting groups in open condemnation of the attack.
The government’s reticence to respond more forcefully, and enforce its commitment to the dignity of women when presented with an opportunity to do just that, raises concerns about a culture of impunity.
Perceived inaction puts our authorities, and by extension the country that acquiesces to them, under suspicion for merely paying lip service to the concept of equity and equality on the basis of gender. It reduces the public sphere to a circus of invective, where disrespect is given a free pass.
The refusal to take urgent action makes it impossible for the Manoel Theatre or government to seriously claim that every effort is being made to uphold the dignity of women in their institution or the Maltese islands as a whole. More dangerously, this attitude legitimises such bad behaviour, creating new risks for all involved.
In fact, scientific research has drawn conclusive links between misogynistic attitudes and poor mental health outcomes for men. Which is all to say that misogyny, abuse and intimidation tactics are harmful to the men making them as well as the victim, the community and society at large.
As the ongoing COVID-19 crisis clearly shows, if a social ill is threatening the integrity of our communities then it must be isolated. Not ignored or dismissed with the kind of infuriating nonchalance that, in many ways, epitomise the inflated sense of privilege that still leaves too many men feeling superior to the women in their lives.
Ultimately, Azzopardi’s story is about the need for effective interventions that stem the flow of hate speech in all its forms, to prioritise communication strategies that are rooted in genuine respect and uphold human dignity.