Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/954081
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2018 News 4 TIA RELJIC DJ NIGHTMARE seeks to bring back old memories in the absence of established rock and metal bars – and tells us exactly how the anomaly of 'metal DJs' is extend- ing the life of the scene outside of concerts. Metal DJ nights will be organ- ised "as often as it takes," Joseph Magro, the mastermind behind DJ Nightmare events, says. "I don't have the urge to stop now, especially when I see people hav- ing a good time. It reminds me of the good old Coconut vibes back when metalheads visited Pace- ville." Magro is on a mission to a en- sure that younger generations ex- perience exactly what metal lovers had the opportunity to enjoy years ago, before the famous metal bars closed shop. "Just as we had a blast back then, they should as well." There are a few upsides to host- ing alternative parties, including the fact that by listening to and discovering new music, young minds are opened up through the help of bands who have a powerful set of lyrics and rhythm, he says. "With the help of other local DJs, we coordinate to deliver sets that are prepared upfront – though sometimes we work with what we have on the fly." In any case, the formula seems to be working. "At times, the famil- iar faces who used to hang out at the previous venues would show up, and in other times we see new- comers who are inspired by what they hear," Magro says, adding the fact that most 'metalheads' are open-minded, and so even those interested in more commercial types of music are attracted to the unusual vibe. The order of the day is rock, industrial, and gothic metal – though the DJ always attempts to push some death or black metal by the end of the night to bring it full circle. But even this depends on the present crowd, as not eve- ryone enjoys 'brutal tracks', Magro informs us. "With requests from the crowd, and maybe a few signa- ture tracks here and there, I make sure to deliver a memorable night where anyone and everyone can gather together with no entrance fee." While keeping the same power- ful vibe, Magro insists on keep- ing each event special. "I usually dedicate a lot of time to recreate a playlist for each night. I make sure that every song is handpicked and proof-listened, as I'm not a fan of recycling and want the crowd to enjoy themselves to something 'new'." DJ NIGHTMARE at Rock Bar Republik, St Julian's on Friday 16, will be a night full of rock and metal hits kicking off at 9pm. DJ seeks to fill up void left by lack of established rock and metal bars YANNICK PACE OWEN Bonnici has refuted claims that he wrongly in- terpreted the principle of the right to be forgotten, in directing the courts to re- move judgments published online. The Justice Minister faced flak in parliament yesterday over his deci- sion to grant discretion- ary powers to the court registrar when faced with requests to remove judg- ments online. Opposition MPs Karol Aquilina and Therese Co- modini Cachia both asked the minister to specify which law gave him the right to authorise the re- moval of judgments. The minister, however, insisted a distinction need- ed to be made between of- ficial court records, and the "soft copy" that was uploaded on the internet. Bonnici said that laws requiring the publication of sentences pre-dated the internet and his decision had no bearing on physical court records. The case revolves around Yanica Barbara, a law grad- uate who had admitted to fraudulently using a lost credit card. Barbara, who graduated in 2015, sat for her warrant examination in January this year, and requested that her sentence be re- moved from online records at some point over the last six months. Her request was accepted by the court's administration. Bonnici said the right to be forgotten was being de- bated across Europe, with countries like France hav- ing already implemented laws outlining one's rights in this regard. He insisted that people who had made a mistake in the past and who had re- formed themselves should not be penalised because of a simple Google search. Critics, however, have noted that the removal of judgment from the court's online records would not impact whether newspa- pers had a right to pub- lish stories and that the move could create a situ- ation where people whose cases weren't reported by the media can be "forgot- ten" while those who were, can't. Moreover, questions have been raised as to why the Government had not an- nounced that it would be granting citizens this right, when it was granted. The minister quoted a 2014 sentence by the Eu- ropean Court of Justice, stating that Mario Costeja Gonzalez, a Spanish citi- zen, had the right to have Google delist records on how his home had been re- possessed to pay off debts 15 years earlier. However, replying to the minister's comments, Opposition MP Karol Aq- uilina pointed out that the case being cited by the minister did not apply in this case. "You have quoted Coste- ja, but Manni is what you should be quoting," said Aquilina. In comments to Malta- Today, IT lawyer and data protection academic An- tonio Ghio stressed that the Costeja case concerned the removal of data from a search engine and not its removal from an official public register. He said that in 2017 the ECJ had dismissed Salva- tore Manni's request to have information about him removed from Italy's register of companies. The court, he said, noted that the right to be forgot- ten was not absolute, and could not get in the way of public interest, in this case society being able to access information in a public register. Moreover, he said that if a right to be forgotten were to be applied, this should at the very least be done in a transparent manner, with clear guidelines that justify the legitimation and neces- sity to have such informa- tion of public interest value removed. Questions sent to the minister were not an- swered by the time of going to print. ypace@mediatoday.com.mt MPs grill justice minister on 'right to be forgotten' Bonnici said the right to be forgotten was being debated across Europe