Norman Lowell has lost a libel suit he filed in 2006 against the editor of Malta Today and two journalists.

The leader of the far-right Imperium Europa filed the suit against Saviour Balzan and journalists Kurt Sansone and Matthew Vella over three articles that appeared in one edition in May 2006 in what he believed was a “coordinated and malicious strategy” against him. Charges against Mr Sansone were since dropped.

One of the articles was an editorial about allegations that Mr Lowell was involved in an arson attack on the house of columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The articles were not libellous in view of his outpourings

Mr Lowell claimed the articles contained false and libellous information. In his decision, Magistrate Francesco Depasquale took into consideration online discourse on an Imperium Europa forum.

The court noted that “the complainant... has harsh views on the immigration issue and whoever is involved in the defence of immigrant rights and therefore, by right, these views certainly evoke a similarly harsh reaction against him and his organisation.”

The judgement also makes reference to the defence by Mr Balzan and Mr Vella, highlighting the right to freely report on social and political facts. Magistrate Depasquale held that the articles were not libellous, in view of Lowell’s extremist outpourings.

The court also noted that Mr Lowell’s comments on the media were not acceptable in a democratic society, where diversity and multiculturalism form the foundations of Maltese society.