Justice Minister Owen Bonnici spoke out against online hate speech during the adjournment tonight, slamming attacks made on his personal relationship with journalist Janice Bartolo.
"The internet has made it easier for people to publish what they believe. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but not every opinion is good, and there are those which damage society."
"I am not saying that we should not be in favour of free speech. But discourse aimed at humiliating others, or insulting others just because they are of a different skin colour, is wrong. Racism is wrong, it is hate speech. Saying that Hitler did right, is wrong. In the same way, attacking others for sexual orientation, their political ideologies, is wrong."
"I believe that the best way to fight hate speech, more so than using the law, is by using education, educating people that it is wrong to create hatred in society."
"For a blogger like Daphne Caruana Galizia, to write that people should hang me and my partner upside down in a square like they had done to Mussolini and his partner, that is creating hatred."
We combat hate speech by being the better persons.
"We have been dating for three years I passed through a separation, have a minor child, and Janice has a child of the same age as well."
"Many lies have been said, but we believe the Maltese people are smart enough to understand that there are realities persons not involved can't judge."
I don't think the best soluton would be to combat every single lie said about us, but when lies move out of blogs, and come through the opposition, then I need to take a stand and defend our dignity."
Speaking about Janice Bartolo and her time on the National Philharmonic Orchestra, he said he wanted to correct lies which were being said. He said that she was not appointed to the board because she was dating him, adding that he had appointed her to the board before the two even began dating.
"In my political career, I make sure to practice ethics and not just preach ethics. I gave my legal office to someone else, taking no remuneration once becoming a minister. Other Justice Ministers remained receiving payments from their legal office, and did not go against the law by doing so, but I believe, ethically, I should not receive payments from my legal office. As for my lectures at university, I insisted that I stop being paid for them."
"When I became minister, I found a good orchestra, but the work it was doing was not being made public. It was not media savvy. And so I wanted a journalist on the board. After consultation, I felt I should appoint Janice Bartolo. When she was appointed, I barely knew her. I doubt that I had spoken to her three times. I had met her at press conferences but that's it. She was appointed on 15 May 2014. Later, we began dating. I think it is private, and I don't think anyone is saying that a separated person does not have the right to date anyone else. After dating a while, we agreed, on her insistence, that she must remove herself from the board. She then submitted her resignation on 23 August the same year. She was on the board for three months. Aside from resigning, she told the Orchestra that she does not want to be paid for her time there, even though it only came to 300 euros."