Man who wished migrants drown off Malta gets €350 fine, conditional discharge

A man accused of hate speech over a Facebook comment he posted two years ago, turned up to court on Friday without a lawyer.

Roderick Abela, who represented himself, was conditionally discharged and fined €350.

Abela had commented under a story published on Television Malta’s Facebook page in May 2020 about a group of migrants who were denied entry into Malta and were instead kept on board a Captain Morgan vessel.

“May they all drown because enough is enough… we’re fed up of you, taking us for a ride for 15 years and abusing the generosity of a weak nation lacking guts,” he wrote.

Abela was contacted about the matter more than two years since posting that comment, explained Abela when he turned up for the sitting on Friday, unassisted by a lawyer out of choice.

The delay was in itself not in the interest of justice, started off the man, after informing Magistrate Ian Farrugia that he wished to make some arguments against the charges of incitement to hatred and misuse of electronic communications equipment.

Referring to article 82A of the Criminal Code, the accused argued that his comment did not qualify as “threatening, abusive nor insulting". 

Nor had the police produced...