The Shift is being threatened by Henley and Partners with lawsuits in the United States and the UK. They want us to delete our stories. We will not.

We will fight, but we need your help.

Christmas is a time for merriment, and yet we understand that being festive this year may not come easily for those of us still reeling from the shocking events of 2017. We tried to take a break from hard news this week, so as not to dampen spirits. But they came for us.

Now we come to you with a message of hope.

We will continue our fight to defend freedom of expression. We will resist demands from Henley and Partners – the company selling Maltese passports – to withdraw our story.

Henley and Partners imposed an ultimatum. They threatened legal action if we failed to remove our story by 22 December. Henley and Partners also ordered The Shift not to publish the letter containing their demands, insinuations and threats.

We will not be withdrawing the story, and we have published their letter.

Our reply to Henley and Partners states: “any further attempt on your part to intimidate this publication in the exercise of its freedom of expression in a democratic society shall be reacted to in the fullest manner allowed by law”.

The Shift will fight that battle. We will continue to defend your right to access information. But we need your help.

Your response to our work has filled us with determination to pursue our vision –  the numbers are astounding. Every week, more and more readers show us that there is a need for the work we do.

Now we need your support. This news site is free from commercial or political interference and we will not be silenced.

You can be part of it. Support our work. Help us give a voice to your perspective.

If everyone reading this chipped in €5, we can achieve our target.

Donate now.

Thank You