Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/762759
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post PAGE 9 • Against hatred WEDNESDAY • 14 DECEMBER 2016 • ISSUE 500 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY HONOURS LIST President calls time on Malta's 'republic of hate' Marie Louise Coleiro Preca's finest of speeches: "I urge you to defend the truth always, without fear and with consistence. Long live the Republic of Malta" PAUL COCKS MALTA'S own rock 'n' roll king and idol, Freddie Portelli, was honoured with a 'Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubb- lika' (Medal for Service to the Repub- lic) by President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca in the traditional Republic Day Honours list yesterday. The president bestowed the top hon- our of the Gieh ir-Repubblika awards – the National Order of Merit – on Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona, while Judge Emeritus Philip Sciberras was made an Officer of the Order of Merit. A number of foreign dignitaries and politicians, including the longest-serv- ing US ambassador to Malta – Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley – and the UK's Lord Mandelson were also rec- ognised. Malta's first FIFA-appointed woman referee, Esther Azzopardi, and classi- cal dance icon Alison White were, like Portelli, awarded the Medal for Service to the Republic. See the full list of honours bestowed, on page 3. MATTHEW VELLA NEVER had a Republic Day speech as- sumed upon itself the role of taking to task those detractors whose actions under- mined the health of a country's democracy, through actions and words that were per- verting democratic debate and civility. But for President of the Republic Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, yesterday's celebra- tion of Malta's 42nd year as a republic de- manded mapping out the island's malaise: indeed, an illness of untruths, political fictions, social media bullying and psy- chological violence. If 2016 was the year of post-truth, fake news and the political lies of Nigel Farage and Donald Trump, Colei- ro Preca was sending out a stark warning to the Maltese: politicians and their media acolytes are driving followers into a battle of hatred. Nothing could ring louder than her ad- monition of the way journalists and blog- gers were paving the way to this degenera- tive debate. "It is morally and ethically unacceptable, that sections of the traditional media, as well as bloggers and individuals, make use of social media, to attack the private lives of persons, and their family, even those in public life, to appease some people and generate hate amongst us. "This is done to favour a few, while sow- ing hate amongst us. However, this is psy- chological violence aimed at the individu- al, not at the argument or belief," Coleiro Preca said. PAGE 4 President salutes republic with admonishing speech against racism and the psychological violence of online demagoguery and hate speech See the full list of honours bestowed, on page 3. PAGE 3 Rock'n'roll king Freddie Portelli among Republic's great and good PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY WONNACOTT / DOI