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Matthew Vella
TV journalist and Welcomeurope figurehead Lou Bondi said he faced off German arrogance on the night of Friday 30 April, minutes before Malta was to become an official EU Member State, in a heated argument that caused great commotion in the main control room on the Grand Harbour.
The incident, which MaltaToday is informed was replete with insults and fighting, happened precariously in the minutes preceding Gert Hof’s light show, when Maltese fireworks were used in the final seconds of Ross Ashton’s slide show. Technical assistants who were present on the scene and nearby claim the incident happened at the most “inconvenient of times,” as Gert Hof was expected to give the cue to commence the countdown to his segment.
Speaking to MaltaToday, Lou Bondi said a key assistant to Gert Hof verbally assaulted a member of the Welcomeurope consortium towards the end of the Ross Ashton portion of the spectacle. “His arguments were totally unjustified and his behaviour was totally unpardonable. Worse still, his insults imparted a clear sense of cultural superiority.
“As the chairman of the consortium I responded to this bad behaviour in the only way I thought appropriate. I insulted him back. I was not about to allow anyone, Maltese or foreign, to abuse a colleague and a friend minutes before we became European citizens. I make no apologies for what I did. Indeed, after I said what I had to say, things calmed down immediately.”
MaltaToday is informed that police officers were called in to break the fray, as Bondi was held back by Maltese members from the technical team
PBS chief executive Andrew Psaila, who said he was standing around 100 metres away from the main control room, said he could hear the commotion emanating from the room in the minutes between the slide show and the light show. Seconds later, a number of police officers entered the room.
Bondi claimed it is “a complete lie” to suggest that his defence of his assaulted colleague could have affected the show in any way. “At no point was there such a threat. And the results speak for themselves.
“After the show, the Gert Hof assistant in question recognised that he was completely in the wrong and apologised to my colleague three times.
“Furthermore, after the show, Gert Hof, Ross Ashton and myself celebrated the marvellous execution of the spectacle together. Those who saw our live collective interview on Xarabank at that very moment can attest that there was nothing but joyful camaraderie between us. The truth is that this whole episode was a result of the natural tension that a critical moment like this creates.”
Contacted on her mobile in Germany, an assistant to Gert Hof declined to give her comments on the incident. Asked whether fireworks which had to be launched off the Grand Harbour breakwater had failed to take off at the end of the fireworks display, and for which segment Hof is expected not to be paid, Hof’s assistant claimed there had been no botched pyrotechnics. “He would love to return back to Malta,” she claimed.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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