Rosianne Cutajar sues for libel over disparaging Facebook posts calling her a prostitute

No woman, including MPs, should accept attacks on her dignity, Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar says, justifying two libel cases she filed on Friday

Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar
Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar

Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar has filed two libel suits against individuals who disparagingly referred to her as a prostitute in Facebook exchanges.

Cutajar said women should not accept demeaning comments that attacked their dignity.

The libel cases were filed against Godfrey Leone Ganado, a retired accountant and auditor, and Rachel Williams, an activist with Occupy Justice.

One of the offensive Facebook posts
One of the offensive Facebook posts

Leone Ganado described the Labour MP as a prostitute in a Facebook post in which he also put in a link to a blogpost by the later journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The post provoked a reaction from Leone Ganado’s Facebook friends, including one from Williams. 

In a statement, Cutajar did not name the two individuals but described them as “people close to the PN, particularly Simon Busuttil’s faction”.

These are the first libel cases Cutajar has ever filed in her eight-year political career.

“I was pushed to file for libel because over the past few days there appeared to be people willing to justify defamatory statements calling me a prostitute, apart from other insinuations,” Cutajar said.

Insisting that she cherished freedom of expression, Cutajar called for a more dignified debate.

“I felt obliged towards the people I represent not to accept this type of discourse at a time when we are campaigning against violence and harassment,” Cutajar said.

The Labour MP said when similar remarks were made on people close to the PN, there was outright condemnation from the media and other organisations, as should have been the case.

“But, it appears that some accept this discourse when it is directed towards someone from the Labour Party. Through my action I want to send out the message that no woman, not even those in politics, should accept such statements that are nothing more than an attack on her dignity,” Cutajar said.