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Abusive Comments Towards Young Maltese Activist Requires Urgent Government Action, Says National Youth Council

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The National Youth Council of Malta has condemned abusive comments hurled at 18-year-old activist Xandru Cassar after he was verbally attacked following Malta’s decision to allow migrants to enter the island.

“KNŻ is appalled at the reactions of numerous private citizens who resorted to hurling abusive comments at Cassar, his family, and other youths who endorsed his protest, in lieu of expressing an opinion,” the council said in a Facebook post.

Last night, Prime Minister Robert Abela agreed to take over 400 migrants who had been kept aboard four private boats for the past few weeks. Following the decision, Cassar took to Facebook last night to thank all those who supported and joined him throughout his protests.

Unfortunately, his post was met with hateful comments, abuse and insults verging on that of hate crime.

One such comment came from Gozo Channel Chairman Joe Cordina who commented ‘FUCK YOU’ on the 18-year-old’s Facebook profile.

“Furthermore, KNŻ is disgusted by the conduct of persons at the helm of Maltese State-owned companies and calls on the Maltese Government to reprimand Mr Joe Cordina, Gozo Channel Chairman, for his behaviour. A culture of educated discourse cannot be fostered if persons in such positions are left to act with impunity,” the council continued.

KNŻ also noted how some of those who were hurling abuse wher youths and called for the Maltese government to address the issue urgently.

“As the EU country with the highest rate of online hate speech, action is urgently needed to eliminate the sense of impunity with which such comments are made. The passing of laws is immaterial if these are not enforced, and thus KNŻ calls on the Maltese Government to direct sufficient resources to tackle the issue,” it ended.

Civil Society NGO Repubblika has also called for Malta’s Hate Crime and Speech Unit to investigate the actions of Gozo Channel Chairman Joe and has demanded that he hand in his resignation.

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