Equality secretary demands stop to shaming of PN candidate Angela Coleiro

Parliamentary secretary for equality Rosianne Cutajar issued a condemnation of a Facebook meme humiliating the PN candidate Angela Coleiro. 

The Net TV presenter, the first trans woman to contest a forthcoming election, was humiliated in a post by the familiar Labour troll Joe Camilleri, of Siggiewi, who takes to task political adversaries with grotesque mock-ups.

“I unreservedly condemn the belittling, sexist and homophobic words aimed at PN candidate Angela Coleiro. We’re not smiling at what you do. This kind of talk is of no benefit to the Labour Party, least of all a government that did its best for Malta to be at the top of the league of civil liberties,” Cutajar said on Facebook. 

“And one other thing: let’s stop this thing of calling any woman we disagree with a prostitute. It’s a big disservice to those women aspiring to enter politics. We want to be better, not worse, than our political adversaries!” 

Cutajar has previously won a defamation case against former Occupy Justice activist Rachel Williams and the PN pundit Godfrey Leone Ganado for calling her a prostitute on social media. 

Coleiro entered politics earlier this year after a career spent as a presenter on television. “I disagree with corruption, with deals like Vitals and Electrogas, with Panama companies, the murder of a journalist, and unbridled development,” she had said upon announcing her candidature. 

But when Coleiro became outspoken in her criticism of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook users shamed Coleiro’s gender identity. “I have all the evidence I need, and to the cowards who removed their comments because they’re afraid it’s too late, I’ve taken a screenshot and handed them in to police,” Coleiro said in a reaction to the posts. 

Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg subsequently filed a report with the Hate Crime Unit. Hate speech on the basis on someone’s gender identity comes with a €1,000 to €5,000 fine.