The Nationalist Party and Momentum today condemned the intimidation tactics adopted by the Prime Minister's special delegate Jason Micallef.

Momentum was the first to issue a statement, describes Jason Micallef's tactics as intimidatory against podcaster Trudy Kerr, following her video highlighting the covering of a large green area in Ta' Qali with gravel.

Kerr's video documented that the public works authority had transformed a popular public picnic area into a gravel wasteland, Momentum said. In response, Micallef accused her of spreading "fake news" and that she had engaged in bullying.

Micallef has announced he will take Kerr to court over a video she posted drawing attention to Ta' Qali Park's gravelling.

"I will be pursuing legal action against those who created the FAKE NEWS and malicious lie about the picnic area in Ta' Qali," Micallef said.

The move comes, he said, following government's failure to "stand up to bullies."

"I'm giving a warning because enough is enough. Since this government is too afraid to confront the social media bullies, I'm not," he said. "The bullying by some on social media - where if you don't play their game, they can't make money - its time is up, and I will fight it with all my strength."

In a statement Thursday,Momentum General Secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin said the "situation depicted in the video is a verifiable fact, not fake news. Ms Kerr was rightfully pointing out the tragic loss of a beloved green space, and Jason Micallef is making a completely illogical accusation that aims to intimidate genuine citizens from speaking up".

Momentum stands in solidarity with Kerr and condemns Micallef's own use of social media to spread his signature brand of intimidation.

Momentum said it has submitted a Freedom of Information request to the public works authority. The request seeks to clarify the exact process which led to this "damaging decision", Momentum said.

Later,  the PN also condemned the threats made by Micalle, against a journalist simply for raising her voice - as many others are doing - on the damage caused at the picnic area in Ta' Qali.

For merely posing legitimate questions about how this much-loved green space for families at Ta' Qali was covered in gravel - in a video recorded on site - podcaster Trudy Kerr became the target of an attack by Jason Micallef, who insulted her as a "failed and phoney podcaster", while threatening to take her to court.

The PN expressed full solidarity with Kerr and with the many others drawing attention on social media to what has happened at Ta' Qali, whom Jason Micallef has branded as "social media bullies whom the Government is afraid to confront, and whose time is up".

The PN expected Robert Abela, instead of trying to brush this off as a mere "miscommunication issue", to condemn the intimidation coming from Jason Micallef - who not only heads the management of the Ta' Qali National Park, but has also been appointed by Abela as his Special Delegate responsible for implementing Labour's electoral programme.

"For Jason Micallef, pouring gravel on one of the largest remaining open spaces in Malta is nothing more than "Fake News" - which he dismisses as the product of jealousy against the "success story" of the Ta' Qali picnic area," the PN said.

Yet it is clear that those speaking out on social media - and the 6,000 people who signed the petition ahead of the protest to be held on site by a number of young activists this coming Saturday - think otherwise.