12 killed at sea; 47 pushed back to danger in Libya. Repubblika says in court Ministers letting people die is criminal.

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2020-04-15T18:48:52+02:00Wed, 15th Apr '20, 18:48|

Migrants abandoned for 6 days in the sea around Malta are now back in Libya according to the International Organisation for Migration. They were  found yesterday abandoned on their raft in Malta’s search and rescue waters. ❗️The migrants were rescued by a commercial ship from the Maltese search and rescue zone and handed over to [...]

Remove ‘unsafe harbours’ order

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2020-04-15T09:40:49+02:00Wed, 15th Apr '20, 09:40|

I'm sharing here a Facebook post by Italian senator and journalist Sandro Ruotolo and providing my translation: Saving lives means saving the world I want you to look at this photo of Rai. She's two years old and was born in Eritrea. Journalist Sara Creta who published this tweet says that Rai left Libya a [...]

Freedom from fascists

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2020-04-15T08:41:19+02:00Wed, 15th Apr '20, 08:41|

On 25 April Italy recalls its final liberation from its fascist regime. A few days later -- May 3 -- is world press freedom day. This year the Italian federation of journalists, FNSI is merging the two occasions by recalling the efforts of journalists to resist fascism, its lies and its ominous rise in our [...]

Constructive distancing

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2020-04-15T08:28:27+02:00Wed, 15th Apr '20, 08:28|

Construction is not customer-facing so it outlived the social distancing restrictions on economic activity relatively unscathed. There's a logic we can all understand that if you operate a restaurant you're basically operating a giant petri dish incubating and spreading a virus among your customers. "Customers" of a construction project can afford to stay well clear [...]

Why is the DOI trolling people on Facebook?

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2020-04-15T08:19:40+02:00Wed, 15th Apr '20, 08:19|

It's bad enough that we get anyone with a quarter-arsed opinion and spelling from some mediaeval generation of Maltese writing as yet uncovered by research to pour their brainless inanities, non sequiturs, illogical fallacies peppered with the occasional seasoning of unbridled hate all over Facebook comments boards. But can the official government department of information [...]

Repubblika Facebook Live: Racism in Malta

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2020-04-15T07:26:33+02:00Wed, 15th Apr '20, 07:26|

Norman Vella's guests on the show TV show host Peppi Azzopardi, psychologist Mary Anne Lauri, activist Xandru Cassar, Repubblika committee member Rosette Thake, social welfare academic Andrew Azzopardi and Sylvana Brannon.

Tales from Varist’s crypt

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2020-04-14T10:49:26+02:00Tue, 14th Apr '20, 10:49|

It was with ghostly pallor and grave solemnity that Evarist Bartolo gave his urbi et orbi yesterday describing, probably accurately, a scene in Libya straight out of the imagination of Heironymus Bosch. There haven’t been many occasions when our government acknowledged the cruel misery, the clear and present danger, the sheer injustice of life in [...]

16 April: 30 months waiting for truth and justice

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2020-04-13T16:50:39+02:00Mon, 13th Apr '20, 16:50|

The call for truth and justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia will not be silenced by the circumstances in which we're living. Nor will the tributes to her memory fade. Join us online in our remembrance. More events will be announced by Repubblika, #occupyjustice and this website in due course.

How do you put 1000 Maltesers in a car?

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2020-04-13T16:45:06+02:00Mon, 13th Apr '20, 16:45|

Manuel Micallef, Labour ideologue, TV host, and mirror-wanker extraordinaire put this up on his Facebook fully pretending his attempt at humour to be innocent. At least I hope he was joking, however pathetic that humour would be. For the benefit of all, here is his post translated: "A decision needs to be taken at the [...]

Repubblika Facebook Live: Letting people drown

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2020-04-13T13:20:19+02:00Mon, 13th Apr '20, 13:20|

In case you missed it. Norman Vella yesterday interviewed Xandru Cassar, lone protestor at Castille Place calling for lives at sea to be saved. Also appearing on this program former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, Repubblika spokesperson Marion Pace Asciak, Arnold Cassola and Jimmy Bartolo SJ.

It could happen to you

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2020-04-13T13:13:10+02:00Mon, 13th Apr '20, 13:13|

Maybe I did stretch the Jesus metaphor a bit too much last weekend but if I’m honest that residue imbibed in every lapsed Catholic really bubbles up this time of year. Someone said on Facebook yesterday that the last thing they ought to be doing is taking lessons on faith from me and obviously they [...]

Have yourself a conscience-free Easter

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2020-04-12T11:41:22+02:00Sun, 12th Apr '20, 11:41|

Someone told me after I wrote this other piece earlier that I’m a closet believer and I’ll be coming out at some point. Maybe Easter is a good day to think about a conscience-free resurrection. The first thing Jesus did when he walked out of his barely used tomb was shoot some birds for fun. [...]

Reforms to retain prime minister’s power to block deserving candidates for the judiciary

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2020-04-12T16:55:01+02:00Sun, 12th Apr '20, 09:00|

Unpublished plans agreed between the two main parties for judicial reform retain the prime minister’s unhindered power to block the appointment or promotion of any member of the judiciary. Sources say that an improved appointments procedure falls short of independence of the judiciary from the influence of the government as lawyers and magistrates will need [...]

THE SUNDAY TIMES: It could be worse

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2020-04-12T08:20:46+02:00Sun, 12th Apr '20, 08:20|

From my article in The Sunday Times today: "Prime Minister Robert Abela cut a pathetic figure sitting in front of a standing Karl Stagno Navarra on the Labour Party’s TV station this week, lamenting the criticism he is facing. 'To have people that are so insensitive that they try to capitalise on the fear that [...]

They know not what they do

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2020-04-10T23:13:54+02:00Fri, 10th Apr '20, 23:13|

As readers of this blog know, I’m not religious. But I was brought up in a Catholic culture and the days of Easter are as deep in my bones as olive oil. I am unqualified to make religious analogies let alone draw teachings and interpretations from the lessons I vaguely remember from childhood. But when [...]

Senior government official calls for sinking of NGO salvage boats

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2020-04-11T08:45:07+02:00Fri, 10th Apr '20, 21:03|

The CEO of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services Alfred Grixti made a public call on Facebook for the seizure and scuttling of boats carrying migrants escaping Africa. He was commenting under a Facebook post of Labour European Parliament election candidate Steve Borg. Steve Borg, whose top priority in his 2009 election campaign was “illegal [...]

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