Prominent anti-choice activist Ivan Grech Mintoff has declared himself to be pro-choice when it comes to paying libel damages.
In February 2019, Grech Mintoff was ordered by the courts to pay €3000 in damages to Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), after he was ruled to have posted defamatory statements about the NGO, in which he accused it of being funded by Planned Parenthood, an American reproductive healthcare group.
However, in a Facebook post last week, MGRM said the former MEP candidate had not yet paid them the money, and asked people to donate to a crowdfund so they could pursue the matter in court.
Reacting to the post, Grech Mintoff told Bis-Serjetà that no one should be forced to pay libel damages.
“Some people aren’t ready – physically or mentally – to hand over thousands of euros to an individual or group they defamed. Many can’t afford to, and others just don’t want the burden. So I believe it is my moral right to decide whether to pay or not,” he said.
“What’s more, Malta’s current laws mean that anyone who doesn’t want to pay legal damages has to travel to a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Malta, a journey that can be both expensive and dangerous,” he added.
“My bank account, my choice!”
