Imperium Ewropa’s Norman Lowell yesterday took the opportunity of killing two birds with one stone, by placing a wreath at the foot of the Great Siege Monument in Valletta and filing a plea in court in relation to charges of incitement of racial hatred.

Mr Lowell, sporting trendy

sunglasses and his silver-tipped walking stick, said he was placing the wreath yesterday because he had been prevented from doing so on Victory Day, 8 September.

He said that he was laying the wreath in the name of the two movements, Imperium Ewropa and Viva Malta.

Speaking to the media outside court, Mr Lowell said that

8 September should be Malta’s only National Day. Once Malta had saved Europe, he said. “And history will repeat itself. Viva Malta will work to save Europe.”

Meanwhile, in his plea to the court, Mr Lowell said that he was accused of inciting racial hatred on 22 January 2005, a charge that he has denied.

He said the prosecution had only produced one witness – the prosecutor himself. In the writ he said that, as evidence, the police had produced a cassette containing a recording of the said speech which, he claims, is absolutely indecipherable. In addition, he said a script was produced which had no form of authentification whatsoever to show that it was a faithful reproduction of his speech.

The charges against him were also vague, he said. He requested the court to declare that the charges were lacking in legality and that he should be informed precisely of what precisely he is accused. He also requested the court to declare the proceedings against him to be null and void.

Dr Emmy Bezzina filed the writ.