Watch: Roberta Metsola Defends Joseph Muscat Handshake Snub
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has defended her decision not to shake former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s hand during a meeting at Castille five years ago.
Metsola was asked about her famous decision to snub Muscat during an interview on Andrew Azzopardi’s RTK radio show in the context of Muscat’s potential political return as a PL MEP candidate.
“First of all, Robert Abela must see whether he will contest or not and I hope he still has control over who can run as a candidate for his party,” Metsola responded.
Metsola had famously snubbed Muscat’s handshake gesture during a meeting at Castille in the midst of the 2019 political crisis.
She said today that the circumstances that prompted her to refuse his hand still exist, as justice for the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia hasn’t been dealt and responsibility hasn’t been shouldered.
“Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by the system,” she warned. “I promised her family that I will call for justice. A mother was killed a courageous journalist was failed by the system. Look at what they did to her while she was still alive. Who is covering up for whom? Who will respond? Do you think I should shake Joseph Muscat’s hand?”
Metsola’s handshake snubbed was recently brought up by PL MEP Alex Agius Saliba, who accused her of “double standards” when she shook the hand of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is facing a wiretapping scandal.
Was Metsola right to snub Muscat’s handshake?
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