Criminal proceedings for blaspheming and littering with cigarette butts

Raquel Vella

Oct 15th 2009, 07:37

Swearing is nothing more than a social construct. Use any word enough in a negative connotation and it too will soon turn into a curse word. Using up valuable tax dollars is not fixing the social problem in which everyone seems to be complaining about. Maybe if society invested their time a little more into education and family structure, these problems would not be so evident. Instead, most of the middle aged women look like butch lesbians who are more angry than most teenagers while their husbands to go the bar at all times of the day with their 50 gold chains and wife beater tshirts for a drink. There are unwanted families, marriages, and lives in Malta - fix that and you'll fix the problem.

c.t. busuttil

Oct 14th 2009, 20:54

Fortunately the majority of us are decent people and recognise vulgarity for what it is. Still swearing seems to be accepted as part of our national identity among people from all walks of life. Fines must be hefty to deter. Pinching our pockets seems to be the only lesson we are prepared to learn. Where should cigarette butts be disposed of?

Anthony Grech

Oct 14th 2009, 20:31

@ Darren Galea. Dear Darren, suppose somebody swear and use foul words towards your parents, who am sure do not have the same ideas regarding blaspheming? Suppose this somebody do this in front of you and as you said "for fun"? What would be your reaction?

mario bezzina

Oct 14th 2009, 17:05

@darren galea
shame on you to approve blaspheming and boast that you feel good. i hope you do not go to
church as that is the place you are offending. i hate people that swear and those that use foul
language. it makes me feel low when i hear this kind of talk. perhaps you feel a man but i can assure you, you are not. i cannot call you an animal as animals do not swear and i would rather sit near a pig than people who swear. one day,i knew a guy who used to swear with a certain power, until one fine day a stroke hit him and luckily he got away with it. but the
difference was that the next time i met him his language was clean and full of praise for God.
this might happen to you or any member of your family and you might change your mentality. we seem to have a lot of poeple around us that want to bully God. hope you convert.

John Smith

Oct 14th 2009, 16:17

Some months ago whilst swimming at the Ta' Xbiex Coast Road, between the Water Polo Club and the Malta Yacht Club premises, we notice three young children not aged above 9 years who had been for hours non-stop swearing with God, our Lady and also blasphemously with all the cream. When I asked them that saying these words is wrong and if one dies, one can finish in hell. The boy and girl replied that "hell does not exist" and if you are fed up go to f....c...y....s... Then we asked them from where they learned all this bad words and they replied from their father and mother who use these words daily.

So later I managed to mention the girl's name of her..street, and the other told..her that he lives just behind her in Gzira. So why are such..parents non-responsible to the eduction of their children, to which instead they must have been feeding them with such filthy words. These children..who were maltese they probably don't go..to learn catechism in the evening? Where their parents..properly education in..Catechism or have they turned into non-believers. Any way, I do know a few non-believers but I never heard them swear?

Martin Triganza

Oct 14th 2009, 15:44

This is a ridiculous figure issued by the authorities. Come to the Strand in Gzira and see thousands of cigarette butts thrown near the trees which are on the pavement, including huge amounts of dog poo especially during the summer season!! Nobody ever gets caught over this abuse because the authorities are not there to fulfill their duties.

moses mula

Oct 14th 2009, 14:38

If there was more need for evidence that the church and goverment in Malta are not seperated, here it is. And we dare to call other countries and cultures backwards. Haha, don`t make me laugh. Talk about democracy. Maltese law and the constitution need a little revising. When it comes to littering with cigarette butts, altough I think it is wrong, it is hardly criminal. But go figure how the maltese lawmakers and the courts think.

Darby Allen

Oct 14th 2009, 14:32

If a religion is robust it does not need to be protected by blasphemy laws.
In the UK there is no longer a blasphemy law in respect of Christianity, although Islam still feels the need for protection!

The environment does need protection against litter-louts, and not only those who throw their cigarette butts into the street. Exemplary fines are needed to discourage littering, and offenders should be compelled to spend a number of hours street-cleaning.

Paul Bonnici

Oct 14th 2009, 13:56

I am atheist and blaspheming disturbs me a lot. There should be zero tolerance to people who blaspheme and they should be charged.

We have to respect other people's sensitiveness when it comes to religions and the catholic religion is one of them.

gustav privitelli

Oct 14th 2009, 13:51

Alla jisthoqlu kull tifhir u glorja. " La ssemmix l'isem ta' Alla fil-battal" (it.tieni kmandament ) moghti lill bnedmin minn Alla nnifsu miktuba fuq twavel tal-ligi lill Mose fuq il-muntanja Sinai' Id-dagha ibaxxi d-dinjita tal-bniedem u barra li hija l-ghar offiza , huwa l-akbar insult li-jmur dirett kontra Alla. Filwaqt li l-angli kollha jfahhru kontinwament lill Alla fil-glorja tal-genna, l-indannati l-hin kollu jidghu il-hinn kollu bl-isem imqaddes t'Alla bl-akbar disprezz. Habib ma liema naha tixtieq li tkun ma ta' l-ewwel jew ma tat-tieni.? L-ghazla f'idejk habib. Ikun imbierek Alla.

James Green

Oct 14th 2009, 13:30

@ Joseph Tonna
Qed tħallat il-hass mal-gass.
Għawnhekk qed niddiskutu ir-rimi tal-loqom tas-sigarretti, mhux tipjip fejn mhux suppost.

Fuq nota kemxejn differenti qatt kont qed isuq xi mutur jew scooter (skuter ?????) u xi hadd (mhux se nuża il-kelma eżatta għax tat-Times jiccensurha żgur) jitfa s-sigarrett barra l-karozza u s-sigarrett jispiċċa ġol-helmet (ħelmitt ?????) jew ġo ħobbok?

Paul Barrett

Oct 14th 2009, 12:53

It would be interesting to know what the Court Case results were for blaspheming; how much Court time was taken up for each case; how much Police time was taken up and indeed the total overall cost of each case which when you include the Police, Court Officials and administrative staff, witnesses, electricity etc; must run into ?_____! lot of money.

J Spiteri

Oct 14th 2009, 12:29

I am a mother of 2 boys and can only urge the authority to reinforce even futher these laws as I am FED UP of going to playgrounds and public gardens aimed for young children - " il-bandli" and end up packing to go back home as I find my boys staring at a teenage group smoking, littering and blaspheming.

This is what I call medieval!!!!

Frans H Said

Oct 14th 2009, 11:39

Good move which should be encouraged. But is this the true picture? Visit any building site, visit any bar, visit the ports, etc., and the police can obtain so much from fines to be able to balance the budget and even reduce the taxes.

Will there be a genuine effort to curb both abuses?

I do not think so!

Julian Borg

Oct 14th 2009, 11:31

Is this about vulgar language, or is this about using religious verse as verbal abuse? Because taking the lords name in vain is not illegal! It's frowned upon but not deemed as illegal.

Paul Pace

Oct 14th 2009, 11:20

It would have been interesting to know the localities of the offenders. What about Paceville? What about in Triq Santu Wistin near Bay Street? The litter is not cigarette butts but paper pizza plates.

Joseph Tonna

Oct 14th 2009, 11:14

Hafna nies ghadom qedin ipejpu fejn mhux suppost ipejpu jigifieri ghadhom qedin jiksru l-ligi kontinwament bhal per ezempju fuq il-postijiet tax-xoghol..........il-ligi qeda hemm biss u mhux qeda tkun rinforzata lanqas xjn !!!

C. Farrugia

Oct 14th 2009, 11:11

Yes and how many shop owners where taken to court for using the public pavement and roads as their rubbish storage area? Can the Sliema Local Council inform readers of how many tickets where issued to shop owners at the Strand. Vide:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091007/letters/tourist-operators-leave-rubbish-too

Darren Galea

Oct 14th 2009, 11:08

Charged for blaspheming? What next, imprisoned for not going to church on Sunday?

Blasphemy is a good thing, it reinforces free speech values and it's plain fun. Coincidentally September 30th was international blasphemy day.

J. Grima

Oct 14th 2009, 11:08

Blaspheming? I'm waiting for someone to be appointed Inquisitor in the next few months.

What a crazy old country we live in, cain't wait to leave this medieval island if you ask me!

C.ZARB

Oct 14th 2009, 11:04

Its ok to break the code of ethics

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091014/local/code-of-ethics-does-not-allow-ministers-to-accept-gifts

But if you add a haqq to it then you will be prosecuted. That's Maltese Christianity for you.