Comedian Malcolm Galea Warns €10,000 Meme Fine Is Act Of Censorship That Can Set A Dangerous Precedent
Well-known Maltese comedian Malcolm Galea has come out against a bizarre court decision that saw a man slapped with a €10,000 fine for posting a meme about people with Down’s Syndrome in a private Facebook group.
In his post, Galea made it clear that while he found the joke in bad taste and offensive, the court case was a step too far and an act of censorship. He also makes an important point, often absent from debates about free speech, that people who make comments in bad taste should face consequences from society in the form of a backlash but not from the state.
“A guy posts a meme on a Facebook joke group that’s in bad taste and offensive to a lot of people (myself included). The correct reaction in a democratic society is surely for other people on that group to let him know that his joke is unappreciated through comments, emojis and other online tools. Maybe the admins of the page might even delete the post if it doesn’t reflect the values of their group,” he said.
“However, having the justice system step in and fining the man (not even the admins who approved his post) Eur10,000 is very problematic. While I’m not condoning the particular joke IN ANY WAY, censorship is censorship. If someone makes a comment in bad taste, they should face consequences from society, not from the state. This case can set a dangerous precedent.”
Not everyone sees it that way. Minister for Inclusion Julia Farrugia Portelli went as far as to praise the court case for “delivering justice” against 29-year-old Luke Mihalic and insisting that no one should ever be mocked.
Should the court rescind its decision?
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