The police charged Xuereb on the basis of a complaint filed by the popular pastor, a move that has widely been seen as a gross violation of free speech.

Although the government has pledged to update the law to “strengthen free artistic expression”, the police have ramped up their action against their comedians – Xuereb being the second comedian that the police charged on the basis of a complaint made by Manché.

“In all seriousness though, the past year has been stressful, but so much fun. When you do stand-up comedy, you should be funny first, and honest second, and there’s nothing more fun than being honestly funny,” Xuereb wrote.

“People, especially in Malta, fear being honest, they fear speaking the truth – they don’t want to stand out lest they be ostracized. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, after all. But I think we have a responsibility to speak the truth as we see it, even if it annoys people. That’s what Jesus meant when he said ‘I have not come to bring peace, but a sword’.”

“We can argue about whether I pushed the boundaries of civil discourse too far with my joke, but no one can convince me that it should be illegal. I doubt the courts will find me guilty, but if they do I won’t pay the fine and the next day I’ll be right back on stage making the same jokes.”

“And if you have a problem with that… Take Me To Court.”

Click here for the ticket link.

Will you be heading over to Duke’s Club at the Marina Hotel in St Julian’s at 8pm to watch this show?