They gathered today in Valletta for a peaceful demonstration of solidarity with Libya and the Libyans. They gathered to send a clear message to Muammar – Free Libya! There were Libyans and there were Maltese. There were politicians and there were journalists and opinion columnists and bloggers. And there were also members of Malta’s Moviment Graffiti. The Moviment members had prepared banners among which were banners with a photo of Malta’s Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi embracing Muammar Gaddafi. Under the photo was the word SHAME. Another picture-less banner combined the names of Joseph Muscat and Lawrence Gonzi before the word SHAME.
The Moviment message was clear. They were not only showing their solidarity with the Libyan people but also expressing their thoughts on the leaders of this country who have entertained the Libyan oppressor in the past. Being the aggressive youth that they are they were more intent on “shaming” the leaders than on hanging their own heads in shame in the name of all the Maltese people who went along with their leaders. But hey – it’s their banner, their expression….
Enter the gurus of Maltese journalistic scene Lou Bondi and Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Times reports that they “protested immediately”. Against what exactly? Bondi is seen in the video telling an activist that “Qed tgerrex in-nies” (You are sending people away). What people exactly? People who cannot bear to be reminded that even their leaders coaxed the Libyan leader and did business with him? Who wants that kind of people in the protest anyway. Surely Daphne will agree. After all she has spent much of the last part of February reminding us of Labour’s not too cosy bedding with Muammar.
What sorry excuse were we to hear now? That the protest is in Solidarity with the Libyan people? Is that the same Libyan people that feel betrayed by the west and its governments and the dealings they have had with the oil rich nation to the detriment of its citizens? Is the solidarity just words? What bullshit.
Andrew Borg Cardona piled on the venom from his blog in the Times:
Would I have joined my friends Lou Bondi and Daphne Caruana Galizia in protesting at Moviment Graffiti’s cheap, childish, hypocritical, myopic and generally revolting little stunt? Their stunt cheapened not only Graffiti themselves, if cheapening what is now obviously worthless is even possible, but diluted, even if only very slightly, the cause they were pretending to uphold.
I’m still waiting for my comment on that particular blog post to appear but I’m not holding my breath. Childish, hypocritical, myopic? I wonder who’s who.
15 replies on “Unbelievable”
The irony is not lost, this in a protest against a tyrant who did his best to suppress free speech.
Malta’s Prime Minister is Gonzi and not Muscat, therefore Gonzi’s visit to Libya carries more significance.
If a similar protest where to be held in France they would hold up placards of Sarkozy and not the leader of the opposition or some leader from the 80s.
This must be one of the very few issues on which Andrew Borg Cardona, Loo and Labour’s Marisa Micallef agree. Here is Marisa”s comment on the Times noticeboard:
marisa micallef(1 hour, 29 minutes ago)
shame on EVERYONE of any colour gender hue race creed or whatever..for making political capital out of this human tragedy..maltas has been helping EVERYONE..let us be proud of that and for once NOT try to score political points..the govt and the oppostion are not doing this so kindly follow their lead for once all of u”
Maybe it’s a case of great minds (or great party sycophants) thinking alike
Graffitti’s only mistake was underestimating the fanaticism of some (or many) Maltese when it comes to PNPL politics.
Their interest is the issue per se and has nothing to do with your-leader’s-more-friendly-to-the-tyrant-than-mine as some have interpreted it.
What, exactly, was the difference between Graffitti’s poster and Daphne Caruana Galizia’s article of last Thursday? She may have removed it (temporarily or permanently) from her blog, but it is still here: http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=120786
Unlike her blog, Daphne does not own the Malta Independent, so its still there for all to see.
The article can still be found on her site:
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2011/02/24/get-off-the-fence-malta/
Yes, the link works, but the article is somehow hidden. Its not even in the archives list.
To get that link I’ve made a search and found it. I’ve no looked for it in the archive and found it aswell. Still there. I think DCG’s argument is that although she agrees with Graffiti’s position, she disagrees with the placards in last Saturday’s protest since that protest was organised by Libyans who did not want to protest against Maltese politicians. I believe that her argument is that if they wanted to do so they should have used different foras eg. a blog (like she did on her own) or a separate protest.
Well it seems her point can’t have been very clear if people are still scrambling to try and unravel it three days later.
I’m no DCG apologist but your comment is quite unfair. The article was published on TMI and can be found on both her blog and on TMI’s website. Just because someone said that the article in question couldn’t be found, presumably because it got lost in her large number of posts, and when I managed to find it in less than a minute is no point.
Malcolm, Raphael was referring to her point, not her article.
Jesus. Looks like you really have to spell things out in BIG CAPITAL LETTERS to be understood these days…
Well blogged Jacques. You are right: it is unbelievable, and also quite sinister. The supposedly ‘offensive’ message on those placards was actually an entirely legitimate political statement, made within an entirely appropriate context. You can agree or disagree with MG, but there is nothing unusual or wrong with expressing shame or disgust at your government’s close dealings with Gaddafi. In fact it’s happening everywhere, in Italy, UK, France, etc. It just goes to show how very different Malta is from the rest of Europe, and how much closer in spirit we are to (irony of ironies) Gaddafi’s way of thinking. Clearly we have not yet evolved from our classic Mintoffian phase, whereby any criticism of the ‘Glorious Leader’ is viewed as somehow reprehensible, and the perpetrator automatically labelled an anarchist. Meanwhile I posted a comment to this effect on the Times website hours ago, and – surprise, surprise – it hasn’t appeared yet. (that last part, however, is entirely believable)
If the lady blogger’s protest in the protest is not hyprocracy at its best (or at its worst?), I don’t know what hypocracy is.
It is good that this demonstration took place, something unimaginable even a few weeks ago. However to be consistent protests must also be held against other repressive and undemocratic countries as China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Should Malta have a more active role in this crisis on the diplomatic front?
Great post! My sentiments exactly!
Mhux ha tifhmu l-ahwa. Fl-ahhar mill-ahhar jibqa l-fatt li skond DCG :
1) Hi tista tikteb u ttela ritratti ta kull mexxej Laburist ma Gaddafi, imma tinkazza ghax tal-Graffiti telghu ritratt ta Gaddafi ma Gonzi.
2)Tal-Graffiti ghandhom id-dreadlocks u ghalhekk m’humiex maturi u ghandhom sens ta perspettiva bhalha u bhal Lou Bondi. Issa halliha li xi ftit jiem ilu DCG fuq il-blog taghha stess kienet qed tikkritika lil Gonzi talli mar jilghaq lil Gaddafi meta kien l-ahhar kap ta stat li mar izzuru ufficjalment. DCG m’ghandix dreadlocks u ghalhekk tista tghid dak li jridu jghidu tal-Graffiti (imma ma jistghux)
3) Issa f’xi kumment qalet li il-Partit Nazzjonalista qatt ma kellu relazzjoni ma Ghaddafi. Jigifieri ritratti biss kienu jiehdu…
Hawwadni ha nifhem…