Censorship Bill pushed aside by Parliament

Local artists, theatre-goers and theatrical producers are displeased by the fact that the Censorship Repealing Bill is set to be relegated once again to make room for discussions about the IVF Bill, the Cohabitation Bill, and the Car Park Privatisation Bill.

Unifaun Theatre Company Director Adrian Buckle told di-ve.com that while he understands the importance of the other bills, he is very disappointed that the impending issue is not being given more precedence.

I have a feeling at this point that we will have to wait for a new legislature for this bill to be approved, he said, before claiming that Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment Mario De Marco seems to be the only voice in our favour in this affair.

When asked whether he thinks that should the Labour Party (PL) be elected in government, things would change, Mr Buckle revealed that he was personally promised by Dr Owen Bonnici that PL, if in Government, would pass the bill.

I will be holding PL to this promise. If the party is elected to power in the upcoming elections, I will be producing Stitching and then we will see if PL is as good as its promises to fight censorship, he maintained.

The play "Stitching" was banned from being staged last year by the Film and Stage Classification Board. Penned by Scottish writer Anthony Nielson, "Stitching" addresses themes such as abortion and death.

An appeal to the Courts decision was made by the producers of the play in an effort to send out the message that the very banning of the play represented a denial of freedom of expression.

Mr Buckle told di-ve.com that board member Teresa Friggieri admitted to influencing the other members in reaching a decision to her liking by giving them notes on what to look for in the text. He also said that Joe Camilleri, another member on the board, admitted that he had no idea how the play ended, even though he had reread it a week earlier. Dione Mifsud, yet another member, said in court that his theatre experience was limited to his daughters school concerts and a couple of pantomimes.

Despite the Arts Councils determination to formulate an anti-censorship bill and make the public aware of it, this bill has been shrugged off by Parliament, which is choosing to focus on other issues.

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Censorship Bill pushed aside by Parliament