EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has been subjected to internet abuse. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is disassociating himself from the vile abuse and hatred spewed on the Facebook page of European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström from Maltese social media users.

Ms Malmström has been bombarded with angry posts since Tuesday when she called on Malta to allow a Greek-owned tanker that had rescued 102 asylum seekers to disembark the passengers on the island.

The ship containing the mostly Eritrean asylum seekers was drifting at sea for two days after it allegedly refused an order to return to Libya from the Italian rescue coordination centre.

Italy eventually agreed to accept the asylum seekers late on Tuesday evening.

Abuse on Facebook included comments about Ms Malmström having a sexual preference for African men and insults about her appearance.

Many comments accused the European Commissioner for Home Affairs of inaction or ineptitude over irregular migration into southern Europe.

Several Maltese came to her defence or expressed disgust at the more unsavoury messages, only to be accused of being traitors.

Other comments echoed what the Prime Minister, who last month, in response to a journalist’s question, had suggested, that asylum seekers in Malta could be sent to Sweden if Ms Malmström did not recognise the problem. Yesterday Dr Muscat said he did not approve of insults.

He insisted that solid arguments could be put forward without resorting to insulting language.

In a statement, the Opposition condemned the abuse and called on the Maltese to show respect and tolerance for those performing their duties.

It seems the abuse aimed at Ms Malmström was at least partly a result of Facebook users posting links to her page in anti-immigration Facebook groups.

Go to hell you traitor

A link to the page of Ms Malmström was posted in the Daqshekk għall-Immigrazzjoni Llegali f’Malta (Enough to Illegal Immigration in Malta) group by a user called Charmaine Borg, who called on all “patriots” to let the commissioner know what they thought.

Her message received a positive response, with many users saying that they intended to or they had already.

Another user, Aldo Borg, posted several screenshots of comments by Maltese people expressing support for Ms Malmström or condemning the abuse, which prompted anger and derision from the group’s members.

A link to the commissioner’s page was also posted on the account of Malta Tagħna, the group or individual that organised this month’s aborted protest in support of sending unprocessed asylum seekers back to Libya.

Ironically, the cyber anger directed at Ms Malmström came at a time when debate rages elsewhere in Europe about the increasing use of social media to send vicious abuse to strangers.

In the UK, there is concern about the growing use of Twitter to send threats to celebrities and politicians, as well as fears that abusive messages sent on Ask.fm have triggered teen suicides.

The UK has a law prohibiting the sending of any electronic message that is “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character”.

Malta does not have any ad hoc legislation regarding cyber abuse or harassment.

However, leading communications lawyer Antonio Ghio pointed out that Malta’s criminal code provisions were wide enough to include activities that were carried out online.

When contacted, the police said some messages from Maltese Facebook users on Ms Malmström’s page amounted to insults but not threats or harassment.

For the police to take action on insults they would first need a complaint from the injured party, which had not been forthcoming.

Furthermore, the comments did not amount to incitement to racial hatred, the police said, adding that people were entitled to express their beliefs within the limits of the law.