Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg warned in Parliament that “online trolls” are harming and conditioning democracy.Buttigieg spoke out after several people hit out at him for criticising the deportation of three Ethiopian nationals who had been living in Malta on temporary residence permits for 15-18 years.“These people were hard workers who paid their taxes, built families and didn’t bother anyone, and I asked why the PL government is deporting them while bringing thousands of foreign workers over,” he said.“Meanwhile, people who regularly break the law, including by selling drugs in Spinola Gardens every evening, are still among us.”Buttigieg said that ONE News’ article about his speech incited several “trolls” to attack both him and the three Ethiopians. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)“I was taught not to sink low and not to be afraid of bullies, but my point is that these online trolls are harming our democracy,” he said.“While everyone has a right to express their opinion, no one should insult and ridicule people they disagree with, or we will end up with immature and infantile discussions.”He went on to say that many MPs hold back from voicing their opinions out of fear of backlash from “trolls”.“This means that democracy itself is being conditioned by these trolls,” he warned.“This isn’t just happening in Malta but in other countries too, where trolls are conditioning political agendas.”Photo: Albert Buttigieg•