Police rebut claims on Palestinian support protest march

M. Brincat

Jan 10th 2009, 19:21

Occupation is the problem

Killing school children is a terrorist act and can never be justified.

Israel, the whole world has seen your real face. Ugly face indeed.

If I knew about the demonstration I would have attended

Steven Livingston

Jan 10th 2009, 18:21

@ Adrian Pace.

So I presume by your comments, that it doesn't matter that 1000 children have been injured in the past few days and approximately 300 killed. Try and think a little bit more about Christian values and have the decency to condemn the slaughter of innocent children and women - irrespective of religion. When you make sweeping statement like "I really do not see why we should bother at all or feel sorry for them! ", I am honestly sickened by your lack of compassion.

Guze Xerri

Jan 10th 2009, 17:02

@ Kenneth Galea,

I much agree with your stated observance.
My fear is that with the political opposition in power, it will be much the same as what we have now.
Political party distinctions have disappeared in western countries in these last few decades.
All political parties get their marching orders from the same hidden puppet master it seems.

J. Borg

Jan 10th 2009, 16:49

Good point Kenneth Galea. But were the police upholding the law or breaking it? Just because the police did something that some people may approve of does not make it legal.

Kenneth Galea

Jan 10th 2009, 16:36

Dr Gonzi give us back our once serence and peaceful island. The GonziPN government gave Malta away a long time ago.
As to the police they should make sure that they never fall victims of politcial correctness. No one is above the law and the police should perform their duties in the name of the national interest.

J. Borg

Jan 10th 2009, 16:18

Louise Vella: may I suggest that you stop speaking on behalf of the Maltese people and speak only for yourself - just like most of us do on this forum.

john micallef

Jan 10th 2009, 16:12

as usual, some sections of the population / foreigners are allowed to do 'whatever they want' and other sections are ordered to stop or else brought to justice. if there is / was a suspicion that provocative and / or offensive statements were being chanted, the prostest must have been stopped and organisers brought to justice just like the police did to one particular maltese citizen. if the duty officers could not urderstand arabic, why don't they request video footage from media representatives who were filming the protest? or else in this case, not like our justice system did in the safi meeting, the media footage isn't taken into consideration?

wally vella-zarb

Jan 10th 2009, 16:06

@ all of those who post anti-Palestinian comments and who blindly swallow the official Israeli PR, here is another Israeli (non government) point of view. You might be surprised.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054158.html

Joe Cassar

Jan 10th 2009, 15:20

@ a. cassar

So you are happy that things in Malta are done like an "Eastern muslim state"?

c.camilleri

Jan 10th 2009, 15:18

I think that our police force has more important things to do than to rebut this trivial claim and give rise to many unnecessary arguments. Many times silence is good.

Peter Paul Sapiano

Jan 10th 2009, 15:06

@ Adrian Pace
Mr Pace, everything that happens in this world does concern us because we are part of it. I do not want to take sides, but war is war and Muslims or no Muslims have nothing to do with it. Innocent people are being killed uncessary. They belong to the same specis as us, that is human beings and they are enduring great sufferings and loosing their dear ones. I'm sure that if you had any relatives and friends living in that part of the world, you would be greatly concerned for their safety. The best thing is to put pressure on the big countries to force them to cease hositilites and to accept certain conditions. One side not to provoke the other by throwing rockets and the other to retreat to the land that was previously taken. Only in this way, will peace reign.

Guze Xerri

Jan 10th 2009, 14:56

"It is pointed out that during the walk, slogans in Arabic were being chanted, however police officers present could only understand the words ‘USA’ and ‘Israel"

this will maybe put a stop to the idea, by some foreigners, who insist that the Maltese are Arabs, LOL.

Adrian Pace

Jan 10th 2009, 14:48

I am not brainwashed...I simply want to live in a safer world and Islam does not permit that!

If it is not about religion than we as Christians should dismantle the mosque in Paola as if it never exsisted and forbid the right of these people to worship. We would not be allowed a Cathedral in Libya or Islamabad or Tehran for that matter. In a nutshell, we have enough preoccupations with world recession, inflation and unemployment than to allow a protest about an invasion which does not concern us.

Yes regrettably it is about religion as religion is the root of culture and as a fact, Christians and Muslims can not co-exsist as Muslims do not integrate within a foreign society but demand rights without delivering duty.

Tony Caruana

Jan 10th 2009, 14:38

IGood one this, i really like it. A truly Proffesional Force.

Surely having more officers per Capita than NEW York city One would imagine that the Force could find one Arab Speaking member.

Or perhaps they wer eall manning 'closed' Police Stations !

a.cassar

Jan 10th 2009, 14:36

@Joe Cassar
Can you imagine this happening in any other western, democratic state?


No but I can very well imagine it and far worse in some Eastern muslim state!

Jo Said

Jan 10th 2009, 14:01

The COP says that slogans in Arabic were being chanted, however police officers present could only understand the words ‘USA’ and ‘Israel’
Professionalsm at its best? Should not the police have had a paid translator DURING the protest? Oh well, what does one expect?

john Portelli

Jan 10th 2009, 13:52

Freedom of speech,freedom expression has LIMITES in Malta.In Malta to speak in an acceptable way is to conform with everybody else which means that CONFORMITY IS THE JAILOR OF FREEDOM AND THE ENEMY OF GROWTH. EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK AND SAY WHAT EVER THEY WANT,That's how it is here in Australia. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT ....THEN DON'T LISTEN!!!!

Joe Cassar

Jan 10th 2009, 13:49

@ Randolph Peresso

And who decides what is an insult and what is a legitimate protest? You? Me? The Commissioner of Police?

What recourse is there when one disagrees?

Totalitarianism does not happen in a flash - it starts with little things.

Like the police stopping people from protesting.

joseph cachia

Jan 10th 2009, 13:38

To Adrian Pace.
The Palestinian/Izrael conflict is about INVASION-OCCUPATION of STOLEN LAND and the confinement of YOUR ANCESTORS Palestinians into a GHETTO deprived of FOOD and all necessities. Your surname is WITNESS to YOUR BLOOD ORIGIN.
The PROTEST has nothing to do with religion. Only you are brainwashed by your CLICHE.
Protest ProPalestine are being HELD in WORLD cities especially in Algeria-Saudi and IRAN.
MALTESE (except you) have aRIGHT to Protest alongside Palestinians in VaLLETTA.

Adrian Pace

Jan 10th 2009, 13:11

I must repeat that this is a war that does not concern Christians. Muslims as a religion glorify death and martydom as it gives them a key to the salvation and a better life in the next world.

The Jews have had their fair share of persecution and are protecting their right so exsist in this world inspite of always living in fear and in a state of war.

We as Chritians are considered "Infidels" by the Muslims and have been at loggerheads with these people for over a tousand years and having lost two crusades before we saved what is known today as Austria.

I really do not see why we should bother at all or feel sorry for them!

Marvin Mizzi

Jan 10th 2009, 13:09

The police this morning rebutted claims that participants in a pro-Palestinian march held in Valletta on December 30 were ordered to stop chanting slogans Now it is wrong if they stopped them chanting provocative slogans theywould have them what they ought to do, if they did not stopped them it was wrong.....

Randolph Peresso

Jan 10th 2009, 12:50

@ Joe Cassar

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to insult.

Chris Borg

Jan 10th 2009, 12:41

@Adrian Pace. Last time I checked Malta was a democratic country so people have the right to organise protests. And no, this is not a religious war. Israel has a Muslim Minister, and I don't think that he's one of Hamas' men.

louise vella

Jan 10th 2009, 11:55

Why should it take 11 days to issue a rebuttal?

This shows that the Police and the AFM need to take better care of public relations. They have the support of the vast majority of the people, but they must be more pro-active.

Joe Cassar

Jan 10th 2009, 11:37

So much for freedom of speech.

Can you imagine this happening in any other western, democratic state?

Adrian Pace

Jan 10th 2009, 11:33

This protest march shold not have been allowed in the first place. We are a Christian Nation and should not even be remotely involved in this saga. This is a war between Jews and Muslims and frankly nobody cares. On the contrary this war is keeping the Muslims focusd on something other than planting bombs in western cities or blowing themselves up to prove a point.

If an offensive Anti-war waould be held in Algeria ,Saudi Arabia or Tehran(Iran) the protestors would have been lynched by now not askd politely to stop slanting anti-islamic slogans.