Many people would find the idea of holidaying in a country whose tourism officials make racist statements repellent.

Ballast is supposed to provide stability. This useless lump is hell bent on rocking the boat.

Well said, though I believe arrogance is equally the result of ignorance.

The combination of the two is responsible for the self-professed “Patrijotti Maltin” who will rush in droves to applaud this fossil’s racist views.

Many of us are still here to remember the insecurity and fear caused by the thuggery rampant during Joe Grima’s tenure as Minister under Mintoff’s government.

Ballast.

I find it even more stupid that Maltese people are being racist too. Racism was invented during the age of Empire, when Europeans turned up on the shores of the Americas and went round Africa.

It was part of how Europe defined itself. It was thought that the European man was the pinnacle of human development and that the indigenous populations of the ‘New Worlds’ were the opposite.

The West set itself off against the ‘Rest’ in this way. There existed a growing cohesion between the centralised monarchies of Europe, and the identity of ‘European’ and ‘Western’ (for both read ‘White’) emerged.

But here is the thing – Malta was never part of that cohesion. Malta was never part of the ‘West’. We are currently doing something that was done to us. It is so hypocritical, to say the least.

Racism is not born of ignorance alone though. I believe it comes from a combination of ignorance and arrogance, the worst combination you can image.

We have acknowledged the ignorance, but where is the arrogance coming from? I believe it is our membership of the EU that has aggravated it.

We were a sinking underdeveloped rock before we joined the EU, and now it has helped us become a liberal and open country. So far so good.

However I feel that some people speak of being European as a tool of power and superiority. Many Maltese, in fact, identify as European first and Maltese second.

Being Maltese is not as empowering as being European it would seem. I believe that we should remind each other that being European no longer means being superior, as it once did 400 years ago.

It means being open, accepting and tolerant towards people of vastly different backgrounds.