Solidarity Movement - Life, Family, Liberty Moviment Solidarjetà - Ħajja, Familja, Libertà | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | MS |
| Governing body | Organisational Committee
|
| Founded | 2017 as IMPENN[a] |
| Split from | Nationalist Party |
| Headquarters |  Mosta, Malta |
| Ideology | Familialism Catholic social teaching Political Catholicism Anti-neoliberalism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| National affiliation | Confederation - God, Family, Independence |
| Colours | Blue |
| Slogan | Ħajja, Familja, Libertà ("Life, Family, Liberty") |
| Coordinator | Edwin Vassallo |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 79
|
| European Parliament | 0 / 6
|
| Local Council Seats | 0 / 462
|
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| movimentsolidarjeta | |
The Solidarity Movement - Life, Family, and Liberty (Maltese: Moviment Solidarjetà - Ħajja, Familja, Libertà), or simply the Solidarity Movement (Maltese: Moviment Solidarjetà), formerly called Impenn (English: Commitment) is a Maltese think tank, pressure group founded in 2021, and also a political party following 2023, by Edwin Vassallo slightly before his departure from the Nationalist Party following the 2022 general election.
The Solidarity Movement is pro-life and promotes family values based around Catholic Social Teaching and the traditional nuclear family together with a dignified pay for workers with a family. The Movement also decried any social liberalisation in Malta.
Initiatives
editPre-Founding
editAnti-Abortion meetings around the Maltese Islands
editVassallo, after failing to be elected to Parliament in the 2022 general election, proceeded to host a set of "dialogue meetings" around various localities around the islands of Malta and Gozo part of activism against abortion in Malta which tabloid, liberal-oriented media house Lovin Malta describes as a "pro-life momentum".[1][2] The movement has closely collaborated with Malta Generation (Maltese: Ġenerazzjoni Malta), the youth wing of the Maltese People's Party during this period. Some of these meetings have been attended and addressed by ABBA party leader Ivan Grech Mintoff, President of the People's Party Carmel Borg and Simeon DeBono, co-ordinator of the Malta Homeowner's Association.
One meeting in particular discussed the vote taken by Nationalist Party MPs Adrian Delia, Alex Borg and Ivan Bartolo — the latter coincidentially vice-mayor of Mosta during Edwin Vassallo's single-year tenure as mayor from 2015 till 2016 —, on an amendment to the IVF law in Malta permitting embryo genetic testing before implantation, contravening the party whip's order to vote aye. This meeting was also attended by Bishop of Gozo Monsignor Anton Teuma.[3] This would raise the debate in the meeting about the lack of conscientious voting and the free vote in Parliament.[1][4]
Life, Family, Liberty - Programme on independent Maltese media
editThe meetings were brought to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns it brought with it imposed by the Government of Malta through Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Chris Fearne[5][6]. Subsequently, Vassallo started hosting an online programme streamed on social media called "Ħajja, Familja, Libertà" (English: Life, Family, Liberty) also co-hosted by Carmel Borg. Public Media News (PM News) Malta, a fledgling media house based in Rabat, Malta, streams these programmes. These were published and are currently available on YouTube[7].
References
edit- ^ a b Diacono, Tim (20 July 2022). "From Mosta To Gozo, Former PN MP Edwin Vassallo Is Seeking To Build Pro-Life Momentum". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ Bilger, Micaiah (12 March 2018). "Lawmaker Slams Push to Legalize Abortion in Malta: "Are We Striving to Be Like Animals?"". lifenews.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ Mercieca, Simon (2022-07-19). "L-isqof ta' Għawdex u d-deputat Nazzjonalista Alex Borg jattendu l-laqgħa ta' djalogu organizzata minn Edwin Vassallo". simonmercieca.com. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ Sansone, Kurt (6 July 2022). "Parliament approves embryo genetic testing with cross-party support apart from three PN MPs". MaltaToday. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ Bonnici, Julian (2020-03-26). "WATCH: Malta Imposes Lockdown For People Aged 65 And Older, Pregnant Women, People With Chronic Conditions". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ Azzopardi, Karl. "COVID-19: New restrictive measures planned for February but no lockdown or curfew". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ "Ħajja, Familja, Libertà - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
Notes
edit- ^ As a think-tank, not a political party