Veteran trade unionist Tony Zarb said the shutting down of his Facebook page was an orchestrated attempt to stop him from “defending his country”.
The former General Workers’ Union secretary general’s social media page was blocked following a series of posts in which he criticised PN MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa, calling them “traitors and backstabbers” among other terms.
This shows gross hypocrisy because such attempts are coming from the same people who fought in favour of freedom of expression
Reacting to the closure of the social media page, an unrepentant Mr Zarb said this was caused by those who did not want him to defend his country.
“This shows gross hypocrisy because such attempts are coming from the same people who fought in favour of freedom of expression,” Mr Zarb, a Labour activist said.
He went on to add that it was evident that with every passing day, more people were showing support for his messages, adding that while he thanked those who showed their support, he apologised that he could no longer get in touch with them on social media.
“I am proud that, along with thousands of others, I am defending my country. I guarantee that I will continue doing so no matter the circumstances,” Mr Zarb said.
The comments have sparked outrage among many, including the Nationalist Party, who said that Mr Zarb’s comments reflect the “falseness” of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who speaks about national unity yet instigates those close to him to spread hate against PN exponents.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna has also criticised resorting to such hate speech, insisting with this newspaper that character assassination and attempts at intimidation have no place in a democracy.
The Archbishop said that he joined President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca in appealing for everyone to engage with each other in a “civilised and mature way”.
In a reaction, Dr Metsola said that the closure of the page proved that hate speech has no place in any discourse, be it on social media or elsewhere.
“There can be no space and no excuse for hate anywhere, whether this is on Facebook or in our political discourse,” Dr Metsola said.
Mr Casa reiterated that the comments made by Mr Zarb go beyond what is acceptable in political discourse.
“Serious questions rise concerning this government’s democratic credentials. The mob-provoking rantings of the government’s exponents exacerbate those concerns,” he said.
The comments by Mr Zarb come only a week after a series of editorials in L-Orizzont peppered with similar language. The daily pro-Labour newspaper, owned by the General Workers’ Union, ran editorials calling for independent media houses, individual journalists as well as the Curia to “disappear from the scene”.
In another leader last Tuesday, the newspaper said that, for Mgr Scicluna, the Nationalist Party came first and, far behind, was the spiritual care of the flock, which, under his watch, suffered a bigger haemorrhage.
claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com