[WATCH] ‘They must stop’ - Pastor Gordon Manche says of comedians insulting him

Pastor Gordon Manche has seemingly had enough of comedians poking fun at him on social media, as a second comedian is to be charged in relation to comments made about Manche during a comedy skit.

Speaking to MaltaToday, River of Love pastor Gordon Manche stated that the comedian’s skit, “is full of foul language just so he can get a few hits on social media.” 

On a more serious note, Manche described the skit as one which encourages violence, as the comedian in question, Daniel Xuereb makes reference to satirist Matt Bonanno’s comments which landed him in hot water earlier this year.

Criminal charges had been filed against Bonanno, the owner of the satirical website Bis-Serjetà, for “the misuse of electronic equipment to make threats” against the evangelical Christian group River of Love, after writing a comment jokingly stating that the group should relocate to Bugibba and be carpet bombed.

Manche told MaltaToday that comedians taking aim at River of Love or himself should stop immediately, stating that, “this cannot be tolerated.” 

“If he played the cowboy when he said these things and posted them online, he should be a cowboy and face the courts,” exclaimed Manche.

The pastor also made reference to journalists, stating that they should be careful when writing articles, titles and choosing pictures. 

Daniel Xuereb

MaltaToday also reached out to Daniel Xuereb, who explained how a month after publishing part of his comedy skit online, he was contacted by the police, and the charges against him were filed last week.

Xuereb said that he was being charged on the same charges as Matt Bonanno’s, regarding the misuse of electronic equipment and making “insults or threats.” He stated that he will likely be arraigned in November. 

The comedian also remarked that when communicating with him, the police were very nice to him, and he understood that they were simply doing their jobs. “I simply don’t agree with the existence of the law in question, but I completely understand that the police are not the problem here,” Xuereb clarified.