Anti-censorship group competes for EU prize

A youth organisation dedicated to ending censorship in Malta is in the running to win €5,000 from the EU after it was the only Maltese entity to apply for an EU-wide competition.

The Front Against Censorship, which was set up after a play and a student newspaper were banned, has called for changes in the law, prompting both political parties to act on revamping legislation.

One of its most prominent members is Mark Camilleri, the young editor who was charged for obscene libel after publishing a short story in the University newspaper Realta'.

The Front will now compete against the EU finalists as part of the Charlemagne Youth Prize, which aims at promoting European and international understanding as well as the fostering of a shared sense of identity and integration.

The announcement was made by Malta's European Parliament office yesterday.

"This is very good news. It will give our organisation more coverage, even at a European level, and adds further weight to our aim," spokesman Franco Rizzo said when contacted.

Asked how he felt about the fact that the Front was the only local entity to take part in the competition, he urged more youth organisations to look to such opportunities.

"If you believe in what you are doing you should enter such competitions to take it to the European level. It also helps give a better impression of young people, because we are not all apathetic."

In its application, the Front claimed that existing legal mechanisms hindered creative expression and acted against European values of freedom of speech, freedom of movement and of works of art.

It has been making its cause through a series of protests, as well as through new media platforms, such as Facebook.

A European selection committee made up of EP president Jerzy Buzek and another three MEPs, along with four representatives from the Aachen-based Foundation for the International Charlemagne Prize, will choose the first three projects from among the 27 nominees at the beginning of April.

A representative of the Front will take part in the award-giving ceremony in Aachen, Germany, on May 11, when the three winning projects will be announced.