Caruana Galizia sees Lowell as 'religion' of people behind website
Norman Lowell.
Norman Lowell is the 'religion' of the people behind the website Viva Malta, where harsh, cruel and frightening comments are submitted by his followers, columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia said in court this morning.
She was being cross examined by lawyer Claire Bonello, who is appearing for Arlette Baldacchino in a libel case she instituted against the columnist in 2006 for an article in The Malta Independent entitled “What is a nice girl like that doing there?”
Mrs Caruana Galizia said that she was shocked when she saw Ms Baldacchino with Norman Lowell since she knew Ms Baldacchino at school as a sweet girl with the right sentiments. Since then they had not really met.
She said that Ms Baldacchino moderated the Viva Malta site under the nickname Etoile Noir and appeared with Norman Lowell in The Times in an article after he was convicted of inciting racial hatred and handed down a suspended sentence.
Asked whether she knew that comments on Viva Malta had been changed by a hacker, Mrs Caruana Galizia said she would not know if they were or not.
Asked if she ever saw comments by Catherine Camilleri, a lawyer whose car had been set on fire, Mrs Caruana Galizia said she did not because at that time she had worse things to deal with because her own house had been attacked.
She said the article she wrote was about the racist sentiments of Ms Baldacchino and Mr Lowell.
As for hacking, if there were any hacking attempts in her case, the service provider would let her know but all attempts were unsuccessful because there was a firewall.
Ms Caruana Galizia said that nobody was crazy enough to go into a site to start changing individual comments. Hackers hacked into a site to crash it.
Mrs Caruana Galizia was also asked how she had concluded that Viva Malta was predominantly about Norman Lowell.
“Because it gives prominence to his philosophy, if you can call it that. If Norman Lowell didn’t exist, it probably wouldn’t exist either,” she said.
Dr Bonello said that a certain person on the website, called Marco Polo had submitted 14,000 posts, Norman Lowell’s people submitted 5,000 and other comments amounted to 9,000.
She asked Mrs Caruana Galizia if she still insisted that Mr Lowell was the focus of this group.
“Norman Lowell is their religion,” she answered, adding that there were two websites - Imperium Europa and Viva Malta, the latter being a forum for discussion. Marco Polo, Mrs Caruana Galizia said, was one of the people who had been investigated in the burning of her house.
The case continues in October.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
'No need for early election if PM's...
In Discussion
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Gozo tunnel could take 5-7 years to...
CABS remote controlled aircraft shot...
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Joseph Calleja condemns portrayal of...
Updated: Labour would give...
CABS drone shot down
Second group of migrants arrives
Adrian Vassallo in scathing...
25 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Robert Callus
May 28th 2010, 12:17
DCG is definitely not my preferred type of writer since she enters in people's life in a too much personal way which is definitely not in public.
However, sometimes she has valid points. One of them is that there are people who literally consider Lowell as some kind of religion with a fanaticism that exceeds all limits. I've read comments by some of his followers on Facebook and Youtube that shows that their author is no longer bordering on insanity but has embraced it completely. They consider every black in every corner of the world as inferior, every word Lowell says infallible, they vehemently offend anyone who disagrees with them (and take it personal) and worst of all, actually believe that in Malta there is a war going on.
Maybe it's not about divine intervention, but there is a very strong similarity between some of his followers and religious fanatics.
ftheuma
May 26th 2010, 17:45
Personally I do not like the political writings of DCG but I do not care a hoot. She is a columnist expressing her opinions about a wide variety of issues and not proposing to take over politically and impose a horrifying political system as NL is doing.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
May 26th 2010, 17:42
Norman Lowell is controlled opposition, heavy handed at that, to be made an example of so no real intelligent opposition crops up to challenge the elite in charge of the sell out of our nation and culture.
Christian Sciberras
May 26th 2010, 17:10
As for hacking, if there were any hacking attempts in her case, the service provider would let her know but all attempts were unsuccessful because there was a firewall.
Uhm, what? Even my 6 year-old computer has a firewall, but it's probably worse then useless.
Ms Caruana Galizia said that nobody was crazy enough to go into a site to start changing individual comments. Hackers hacked into a site to crash it.
Ms Galizia seems to know a lot about hackers....or not....
Let's face it, Malta drags miles behind when it comes to IT dominance. Both mentioned websites are riddled with security holes (Imperium Europa one especially) and it doesn't take more then a couple of informed minds to get it opened wide.
Joseph V. Grech
May 26th 2010, 16:11
I wonder how The Times can possibly give this woman Daphne Caruana Galizia such prominence!
I used to read her articles regularly but I no longer do. I consider her Politically Blinkered and Socially Biased.
It is quite evident from her writings that she is against the lower classes and even wrote disparagingly about them. That's just not fair.
She accuses Norman Lowell of being a racist when what Lowell actually desires is Malta's intrinsic well-being. He may have been a trifle too vehement at times but I believe most Maltese deep down admire his stand in the illegal immigration issue. I myself do.
On the contrary, few if any Maltese, admire Daphne! Sadly this columnist has herself made people dislike her.....
g.c.Forte
May 26th 2010, 16:39
Very well said............I agree 100%....with your comment.
Charles Sammut
May 26th 2010, 17:09
@ Joseph V. Grech
I wouldn't change a word of your comment except perhaps the word "prominence". I would have used "exposure", because this article exposed Ms Caruana Galizia for what she is, not that we didn't know.
Joseph Galea
May 26th 2010, 17:20
Do you guys really understand what Norman Lowell is all about?
"He may have been a trifle too vehement at times..." must be the understaement of all time.
ftheuma
May 26th 2010, 17:30
Norman Lowell speaks disparagingly of everything and everybody. His 'ideas' are based on contempt - disprezz. You should listen to his rants, you will quickly realize what a narcissistic poser he is. If DCG is against the lower classes, and i am not saying that she is not, than what about NL - gahan Malti, Zeza ta bubaqra, censu cafcaf, and so on. It is quite ironic that the biggest support for NL stems from the social class that he disparages the most.
ftheuma
May 26th 2010, 17:41
We are indeed at a sorry pass if there are people out there who admire NL.
Charles Sammut
May 26th 2010, 17:48
@ Joseph Galea
I have heard much more extreme comments from MPs, clerics and Cikku l-poplu in general.
We have a ticking time bomb on our hands but some people misguidedly refuse to acknowledge it.
Denis Attard
May 26th 2010, 21:13
You may not like her style or content....but she is the only writer around who hits where it hurts
MSciberras
May 26th 2010, 14:44
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY THIS CASE WILL CONTINUE IN OCTOBER 2O10????? No wonder cases in Malta take decades, with courts deferring the next hearing by 5 months or more!!!!
Sean Grima
May 26th 2010, 15:15
bah come one man! how can anyone feel like working in august!
J Farrugia
May 26th 2010, 15:37
il-haddiem komuni jahdem fl-eqqel tas-sajf, ghaliex il-gudikatura u l-avukati le? Mela dawn mhux haddiema wkoll? U dawn bl-aircondition ghal giehna!
Marcel Dingli
May 26th 2010, 15:42
Bet you will Sean, with more boatloads coming in. Or are you going to give it a break from defending illegals?
Joe Grech
May 26th 2010, 17:19
@M. Sciberra and the MINISTER FOR JUSTICE DR. CARMELO MIFSUD BONNICI - Last month (April 2010), after waiting for many long months to give witness in court I attended for the hearing.
WHAM...there was a Bomb Scare. Everybody OUT!
Later I checked to see when the next sitting would be held - UNBELIEVABLY it's scheduled to be held next November. SEVEN LONG MONTHS LATER!
Can citizens really take this administration seriously Dr. Mifsud Bonnici? Oh come on please...
Joe Grech
May 26th 2010, 17:27
@Sean Grima -
What do you mean by your comment - magistrates do need to work all year round you know!
If you intended your Comment as Sarcasm you did not succeed in that!
Gianni Xuereb
May 26th 2010, 14:30
Mrs. Know It All thinks that a website cannot be hacked if it operates behind a firewall.... I laughed my ass off when I read her comment.... how funny when people who know nothing, nada, nill about IT and networking start talking as if they are the experts!!!
Joseph Camilleri
May 26th 2010, 14:52
Actually she didn't say that a website cannot be hacked.. she said that hacking attempts were unsuccessful because of the firewall and that her service provider would let her know. So are you an IT expert after all Mr Xuereb?
Graham Crocker
May 26th 2010, 15:10
She didn't say that.
J. J. Borg
May 26th 2010, 15:42
Fan of Lowell, Gianni, I presume?
Jeremy J Camilleri
May 26th 2010, 14:18
Norman Lowell is the 'religion' of the people behind the website Viva Malta, where harsh, cruel and frightening comments are submitted by his followers, columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia said in court this morning.
Truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black....
Peter Bonnici
May 26th 2010, 18:10
Jeremy the difference is that one is a political leader, or aspires to be one, whereas the other is a columnist in a country that enjoys a free press. Moreover, DCG usually attacks those with a certain degree of power, those clamouring for it, and others that absolutely despise her because of her hard hitting. With Norman Lowell, its usually the undefended minorities that bear the brunt of his tirades.
Surely an intelligent, free-thinking socialist like yourself ought to be able to see the difference.
Sean Grima
May 26th 2010, 14:14
don't these people have anything better to do?