Call(o)us Nationalist

Alexis Callus, a 24-year-old Nationalist Party local councillor and deputy mayor of Safi, should resign his post in the council as well as from the party.

Enough facts about his beliefs and activities have emerged to prove that he flirts heavily with racist ideas and subscribes to an extreme-right wing political philosophy. It is quite clear that this young man is not politically mature enough to realise the danger of the ideas he has been playing around with.

Mr Callus jokes on the internet about beating up Sudanese refugees. He thinks that Benito Mussolini was "a visionary" and "a great statesman, the founder of Europe as we know it today". He thinks that one of the proofs that Turkey is culturally unfit to become an EU member is that we have sayings like haqq it-Torok (curse the Turks) and ikrah daqs Tork (as ugly as a Turk). He uses political terminology straight out of an Italian fascist's handbook and worked on a website chock-full of Hitler quotes and racist comments.

This PN councillor helped to advertise the Norman Lowell meeting in Safi on the internet and was present for it.

When Mr Callus's beliefs were made public, he immediately denounced them. Having spent months spouting right-wing rubbish on the internet, he immediately retracted every word he floated in cyberspace. Mr Callus even tried to justify his presence at the extreme right-wing Safi rally which he had advertised by claiming that he wanted to ensure Mr Lowell's ideas would not exert "a bad influence" on his Safi constituents. Yeah right. Mr Callus has yet another questionable virtue to add to his already shameful repertoire. He seems to have no problem to speak with a forked tongue.

Mr Callus is not just an extreme right-winger. He also embraces other views which are as colourful as they are despicable. NGOs who help refugees and illegal aliens in detention, for instance, are called "the new mafia". Archbishop Michael Gonzi, in this PN councillor's view, was right to deny Labourites a decent burial three decades ago. And he opines that this government looks positively at such a view.

Politically, this man lives in his own world.

What has the PN done about all this? Joe Saliba, the PN secretary general, said that Mr Callus admitted his mistake and was "forgiven". This is not good enough. It would have been acceptable had Mr Callus committed one foolish mistake. The facts, however, show that he adheres to beliefs that are clearly at odds with those of the Nationalist Party. For a party to forgive someone who commits a genuine mistake and be prepared to take the flak is a magnanimous act. To accept that the PN is represented in Safi by an extreme right-winger with racist views is not.

Racism, xenophobia and neo-fascist beliefs cannot be treated lightly, particularly at present. The Nationalist Party, a Christian democratic party in government of an EU member, cannot have a man who embraces them speak in its name. Mr Callus, a deeply misguided young man, is free to join a party which shares his views. But that party cannot be the PN.

He must go now before it becomes too late.