Anti-censorship march draws disappointing crowd of 'dozens'

The Front Againt Censorship's protest today perhaps proved, once again, how Malta's artists and doyens of the culture scene can be their own enemies. Less than 100 people marched in Valletta with only about 20 artists present.

Not even representatives or actors from the theatre scene could be seen: ironically, given that the protest was after all triggered by the court ban on Anthony Nielsen's Stitching.

The mock 'funeral' march was held the day after the yearly Malta Arts Festival ended and to symbolise the dying state of the arts. The protestors marched from City Gate and ended up in front of the Culture Secretariat. The protest, though led by few, still attracted the interest from passers-by, especially from tourists who tried to figure out what was it all about.

In front of the Culture Secretariat, Ingram Bondin, from the Front Against Censorship, pointed out that this was not a happy event as last year during the same protest there were six cases of censorship, whilst during the past seven months there were at least eight. All cases were listed in a newspaper which were distributed by members from the Front to the passers-by.

Bondin mentioned that the worst of it all was Article 208 which has been amended lately in Parliament and was voted unanimously by all members of parliament, including the Labour Party which up to a few months ago was against the prosecution of artists.

According to him, the excuse of protecting children with such law was another way of of continuing to treat adults like children and stop them from having their own thoughts, apart from having the liberty to hear and watch what they want. He also condemned the the censorship board whose members acted as "guardians for the Maltese people’s purity of mind".

Jasmina Kotevska, the last person to be affected by censorship because of the erotic Macedonian paintings being banned from the Gozo Arts Festival, asked: “How can you make an arts festival when you have censorship? It’s hypocrisy.”