Man fined €700 after insulting Karol Aquilina on Facebook

A 64-year-old man was fined €700 after insulting and offending MP Karol Aquilina on Facebook.

Saviour Camilleri, from Żabbar, was charged after writing an offensive comment in August 2024 under a post published by TVMnews. On the same day, Nationalist MP Aquilina filed a complaint with the police electronically.

The defendant was called by police for interrogation, with the man confirming that he had uploaded the comment and that he was willing to make an apology.

The court, whilst noting that the comment did not include any threats, held that it was certainly vulgar and offensive, inasmuch as it consisted of a series of expletives intended to offend and bother the complainant.

In its judgment, the court also stated that it has become commonplace for people to feel they have a free hand to insult people from behind a screen.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in every society, even more so in a democratic society where respect towards the individual and their fundamental rights is an essential fulcrum. Every individual has the right to be treated with respect and this irrespectively of whether they retain a public role and irrespectively of their opinion or beliefs”, the Court added.

Camilleri was found guilty of making improper use of electronic communications and fined €700, with a three-year restraining order in favour of Aquilina also being issued.