A rabble-rousing local priest known for his anti-LGBT+ outbursts is to be charged in court for hate speech in Malta. Earlier this month, Father David Muscat went on a homophobic tirade following the murder of 29-year-old Polish student Paulina Dembska. In a seething Facebook post, Muscat addressed Dembska’s alleged killer, saying him being gay or bisexual would be comparable to “schizophrenia and malice”. Abner Aquilina reportedly told detectives he had been “taken over by the Devil” when he carried out the slaying – but being queer, Muscat said, is “even worse than being possessed”. His comments on Dembska’s murder, a case that has touched off a national outcry against gender violence, drew widespread criticism from activists, government ministers and religious figures. Police confirmed that charges of hate speech have been filed over the remarks, the Times of Malta reported.