Freedom, Orwell style (2)

I was disturbed by the sentence handed down to Norman Lowell last week, not because I agree with his views, but because it was news to me that there was such a charge as insulting the President in the criminal code of Malta. This is a severe restraint on free speech - more so than might meet the eye at first glance. What if the President of Malta were to adopt the view that rabbits live on the moon, or that Malta would look much better if everybody painted their house purple, or that the earth really does revolve around the sun and is flat as a pancake too, somewhat like a frisbee if you think about it? Would anybody writing or speaking something different be at risk of being accused of having insulted the President?

This law should be removed from the books as soon as possible. It has no place in a free and mature society.