Chairman of V18 selection committee slams V18 top staff; asks EU to ensure values not violated

The chairman of the jury that selected Valletta as Malta's European Capital of Culture Manfred Gaulhofer has slammed V18 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef and Artistic Director Mario Philip Azzopardi, saying that their behaviour is "absolutely incompatible with their function as representatives of Valletta as the European Capital of Culture 2018."

Artistic director of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, Mario Philip Azzopardi, had described Martina Urso 'a sorry bitch' after she partook in and filmed a protest against the sale of passports in London. He has since said that he was wrong to do so.

This newsroom also recently ran an article which read that the common message sent by various Maltese and foreign members of the selection committee that awarded Valletta the title of the European Capital of Culture was that V18 Chairman Jason Micallef's post is untenable.

Gaulhofer quoted Article 2 of the Treaty of the EU and said. "The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the member states in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail."

He said that continuous comments by Micallef abut Daphne Caruana Galizia and Azzopardi's remark to the activist reflect a mindset guided by values that "blatantly contradict these common European values."

He said that "the harm it is causing goes far beyond Valletta as the Maltese EU capital of culture on which their comments cast a big shadow that will lastingly tarnish the image of this unique event in the city's and country's history.

He said that this behaviour also represents an attack on the core objectives of the EU Capitals of Culture which were initiated by Melina Mercuri and Jack Lang in 1985, "in order to bring Europeans closer by highlighting the wealth and diversity of their cultures and to raise awareness of their common history and values."

"This is why it is not only up to the Maltese government to take the necessary steps."

"The EU too, is called upon to make sure that European values are not violated openly in the framework of an EU-initiative."

from The Malta Independent https://ift.tt/2HyQYEN
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