Casa Lambasts Government on Continued Harassment of Press

EU Commission called to act in Casa letter

MEP David Casa has blasted the Labour Government for continuing to harass the press through court cases that are tantamount to harassment. In a letter to Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, Casa called on the Commission to take heed of the risks to the free press.

“The frivolous court cases that have been filed in order to create hurdles for The Shift News to report information in the public interest are nothing more than an attempt to muzzle the free press and to cripple the media house financially”, stated Casa.

The Shift News has recently won some legal battles, but will still face the rest of the 40 freedom of information requests. 

Casa’s letter follows condemnation by international groups, including a widely backed resolution of the European Parliament calling on the Abela administration to drop the cases.

“The European Parliament resolution of October 2022 condemned the action against The Shift News and yet government authorities have continued with their abusive court cases which are nothing more than another form of SLAPP.”

Casa expressed incredulity at statements made by the Labour Government that intended to show a newfound appreciation for media freedom. At the same time, it repeatedly ignored calls to withdraw the court challenges intended to keep the public in the dark.

“I commend the efforts of The Shift News to hold power to account and to keep the public informed. Media houses should not be left alone when government behaves badly and the European Parliament will continue to stand by The Shift News,” concluded Casa, who also co-chairs the Parliament’s Media Working Group.