Carnival 'nuns' cleared
Six people who were charged with dressing up as nuns during this year's infamous Nadur carnival were acquitted yesterday on grounds that they were not wearing any crosses or religious symbols.
The judgment comes after 26-year-old Melvin Barbara was given a one-month jail term suspended for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to dressing up as Jesus Christ during the same carnival celebrations.
Whereas Mr Barbara pleaded guilty straight away, the Nadur carnival "nuns" - Jonathan Saliba, 38, Daniel Seguna, 22, Elizabeth Grech, 27, Lucio Sciriha, 22, Wesley Zammit, 22, and Jennifer Busuttil, 24 - decided to challenge the charges.
Magistrate Edwina Grima acquitted them after ruling that there was nothing that actually made fun of the Church. They were dressed in black wearing a white veil and the costume did not constitute a sacred garment.
Anyone who is charged with belittling the Roman Catholic religion faces a maximum of six months in jail if found guilty.
The youngsters did not form part of the same group and were stopped by the police as they moved through the crowds and told to take off the costume. Those who were not suitably dressed underneath the costume were escorted to the police station and then taken to their residences.
The police appealed the judgment.
Police Inspector Josric Mifsud prosecuted.
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Dave Alan Caruana
Mar 20th 2009, 09:18
Dress as a pirate to combat global warming, but only with authorisation from the proper religious authorities.
We are demanding that people dressing as pirates during carnivals and other similar activities be arrested on the grounds of making fun of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
A facebook group has been set up for this purpose :
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59338593179
WWFSMD ?
m.mercieca
Mar 19th 2009, 17:35
"Anyone who is charged with belittling the Roman Catholic religion faces a maximum of six months in jail if found guilty"
komplu sejrin hekk
Alison Natalie Keeler
Mar 19th 2009, 17:11
Thank Goodness common sense prevailed it seems.
How much did this little exercise cost the tax payer?
Joe Cassar
Mar 19th 2009, 12:58
Haven't the police anything better to do than to chase their pound of flesh from these people - even to the extent of appealing the verdicts when they are (very rightly) found not guilty?
Or are the police dancing to a tune played by somebody else?
Is Malta still a democratic, secular state ot not?
v.pulis
Mar 19th 2009, 11:44
A picture published in the times some days after the carnival showed two men dressed as nuns with one of them holding a cross while the other made a vulgar gesture with his fingers held under the cross. now we are told that they were not displaying crosses. Must have been a picture taken during the Brasil or venice carnival then!
J. Borg
Mar 19th 2009, 10:48
How many people have been arrested solely for swearing - whilst wearing religious gold symbols or following their patron saint's statue?