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I'd rather live in Iran - Labour MP

'Service in high demand'

Labour MP Adrian Vassallo would rather live in Iran and riot in the streets to defend his religion than live in a country where pornography is available in hotel rooms.

"Regardless of what (Labour MP) Owen Bonnici says, I am 100 per cent in favour of censorship and I told the party that if there's a vote, I will not vote against censorship," he said yesterday.

He gave the example of a film recently aired on cable television showing a man being cloned from Jesus. In a Muslim country, a similar film about Mohammed would provoke riots, he said. Asked whether he preferred to live in such a society, he said he would not only prefer it but would be one of the people rioting.

"I honestly believe that's the only solution... I don't think we can keep on living like this with everyone ridiculing religion."

Dr Vassallo, 55, last week asked in Parliament whether any action would be taken against hotels that made money from pornographic TV channels. He also complained about pornographic channels on cable television.

In a written reply in Parliament yesterday, Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said the police would investigate the allegations.

Contacted to elaborate on his views, Dr Vassallo said he asked the question because he did not tolerate people breaking the law and if the government wanted pornography to be legal it should change the law, not just ignore those who broke it.

He said pornography was degrading and unhealthy for society and hotels that offered pornography on TV in their rooms should be treated no differently than the porn cinema in Valletta that was shut down last year.

Dr Vassallo agreed "100 per cent" with Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo who recently said the state had a role to inform people about the consequences of their private decisions and that what happened in the bedroom assumed a public dimension when it was the government that had to deal with the problems caused there.

Thirty years ago, Dr Vassallo noted, he had not heard of single mothers but now he feared Malta was on its way to becoming like the UK "where children kill and rape each other".

When contacted, shadow culture minister Dr Bonnici said the laws on whether pornography could be allowed in hotels were unclear but this was a standard accepted throughout Europe.

He said that as long as pornography was not accessible to children and consumed as a conscious choice, it did not bother him.

Dr Vassallo was one of his closest friends and such disagreements made the party healthy.

Meanwhile, hoteliers Winston J. Zahra and Claire Xuereb said pornographic pay-tv channels in hotel rooms were standard worldwide and, as long as there was no access to children, it should remain that way.

"If the law needs to be updated to reflect this reality then a proper mature discussion should take place... but let's not use the moral high horse approach on visitors to our island who may have differing values on the matter," Mr Zahra, CEO of Island Hotels Group, said.

Ms Xuereb, of The Palace Hotel, said this was a service hotels should offer because it was in high demand by corporate clients.

The president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, George Micallef said not all hotels provided such services but the association had no problem with those that did, as long as it was not against the law.

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Andrew Farrugia

Jun 10th 2010, 21:22

Mr. Xuereb, do you mind being faithful in your reporting of what others write? I did not make any apology for the Hon Dr A Vassallo. It is not for me to make any apology on behalf of anybody but myself. What I think and believe about the Hon Dr Vassallo is made clear in my various postings to the relevant news items; i do not feel i need any intermediary to convey my thoughts.
As for your comment about me being "well-educated" i do not know whether to take it as a compliment or not. You see i do not consider myself to be well-educated in terms of knowledge, the more one discovers the more one realises how abysmal his knowledge is; but i do consider myself to be well-educated in terms of manners; so i will conclude that it was intended as a compliment; thank you.

Anthony Galea

Nov 27th 2011, 10:12

If these issues are so petty (yet anti-clerical libertarians always seem to foam and froth at the mouth when these 'petty' issues are discussed) then they should not bother you at all, and let someone who is trying to make this country a better moral society do his job! A morally crumbled and destroyed society leads to other all sorts of problems.

ftheuma

Jun 10th 2010, 07:50

To begin with nobody and I repeat nobody is talking in favour of child pornography here. Child pornography is a heinous crime and that is the end of that. You attempt to mislead by mixing child pornography with adult one. The two are totally different but I do not suppose that you can be made to understand that. Moreover your attempt to link the consumption of pornography with molestation is tenuous at best. If I said that of the 1400 molesters you mentioned most of them drank beer and ate crisps does that mean that beer and crisps predispose you to molestation?

Stella Calleja

Jun 10th 2010, 09:25

Your argument of correlating adult pornography with sex-related criminal offences is not valid, since a very high percentage from the normal population use adult pornography. Pornography use is not LIMITED to sex offenders.

For example, many people drink tea. It is useless trying to argue that since most thieves also happen to drink tea regularly, then tea must be a contributing factor to their crime. Drinking tea is not LIMITED to thieves.

charles caruana

Jun 10th 2010, 18:05

Yes, but tell me this, do those 1400 molesters rape beer bottles, assault crisps and sexually abuse tea bags?

Do you sense any glitch in the logic? Any reductio ad absurdum?

ftheuma

Jun 10th 2010, 19:02

You might not know what they get up to with the beer bottles perhaps Mr Zammit would care to tell us if the studies he quotes cover that bit. Forgive me if I sound flippant for this is no flippant matter, I am just exasperated. Do you seriously believe that the molester would not have molested if pornography was not available to him? How about that for absurdity.

ftheuma

Jun 10th 2010, 20:17

Moreover, how many view porn daily and do not molest? The point is that the fact that the molesters watched porn before molesting proves nothing pertinent to their subsequent criminal act.

charles caruana

Jun 11th 2010, 11:09


Exasperation doesn’t get you very far. Neither do snide remarks about Mr. Zammit, whom I respect as much as I respect you. The fact is that he quoted verifiable research and statistic s, while you simply made subjective claims and asked rhetorical questions.

The onus is on you to prove with incontrovertible or even probable evidence your blanket statement that ‘the fact that the molesters watched porn before molesting proves nothing pertinent to their subsequent criminal act.’ Until such proof is forthcoming, that statement is absurd.

ftheuma

Jun 11th 2010, 16:58

I am not aware that Mr Zammit quoted specific studies by name. He just made general mentions to interviews and claims by police officers. When he does mention specific studies, which he should since he seems privy to them, then we could verify or disprove his claims. Meanwhile my two questions remain relevant 1. Would the molesters have molested if they did not have pornography available? 2. How many people peruse pornography daily and do not indulge in molestation? If you choose to regard these questions as absurd and rhetorical then suit yourself. I think that they are very pertinent and relevant to the matter at hand even if I cannot provide you with a cut and dried answer.

charles caruana

Jun 11th 2010, 22:15

Mr Theuma, since you cannot provide me with a cut and dried answer, and simply repeated your unsubstantiated rhetorical questions, I will provide you with an up to date study, based on empirical research and evidence of fifty experts in various fields, entitled : “The Social Costs of Pornography: A Statement of Findings and Recommendations,”. It is available at Amazons, if you are interested.

ftheuma

Jun 13th 2010, 08:57

Mr Caruana, many thanks, I will peruse the study with care. However my questions are not intended as rhetorical, I would genuinely like to be able to answer them, perhaps the study you directed me to will do as much.

ftheuma

Jun 13th 2010, 09:03

By the way Mr Caruana, what is an unsubstantiated question? I have heard of unsubstantiated claims, but questions?

Joe Zammit

Jun 9th 2010, 16:50


Victor, but God does not change! We change, but we can change from bad to worse! We can go from the frying pan into the fire! Pornography is harmful to you, to me, and to everyone. Through pornography Victor becomes Victim!

ftheuma

Jun 10th 2010, 07:53

I am glad that you say that god does not change. So you mean to say that god now is the same god that was in favour of slavery, murder, genocide and what not (just check the old testament of course). Serrahtli mohhi.

Joseph Calleja

Jun 9th 2010, 17:09

Here you go again! " Behavioural problems include fetishes and excessive or ritualistic masturbation". There goes that foot in the mouth again. Mr Zammit I hate to repeat myself but
" min igarrab ikun jaf ". You do the talk so you must be doing the walk. Maybe you should make a reservation to travel to Iran with Dr Vassallo and then you can rule with your iron fist. Mr Zammit please stay out of my hotel room and especially my bedroom. I don't peek in yours so please don't peek in mine. What happens in my bedroom stays in my bedroom.

Joseph Scerri

Jun 9th 2010, 17:36

Mr Zammit, I agree with you. Unfortunately, the majority of the people do not see beyond the point of their noses. They cry out for freedom to see what they want, to do what they wish, without realizing that freedom sometimes is not freedom at all but social regression.

maxine pace

Oct 12th 2010, 11:27

no one would ever mention that.... but working in the hotel industry you would be surprised as to who actually calls up to pay for porn... its main the business men who are far way from their wives fo a long time and need to relieve some stress... it think watching porn is much better than a man going out with a prostitute,,, please do not say rediculous things

Victor Laiviera

Jun 9th 2010, 11:28

The main characteristic of Iran is that it is a Theocracy - where the religious and the civil authorities work together to limit the people's freedom. So if you want to compare it with Malta, you have to go back to the 60s when the PN and the Church worked hand in hand to block all social progress.

M. Degiorgio

Jun 9th 2010, 19:04

Very true Mr. Laiviera, the PN have nothing to boast concerning the separation of the state and religion. However, here I am obviously talking about the extremes...like in the 80's, remember?.

E.Muscat

Jun 9th 2010, 20:21

Mr.Laivera,I was in the same class as you at the Lyceum:my father was a labourite,God rest his soul,but I never experienced any theocracy in my upbringing:your case might have been different.
But that was during a benign nationalist government when most of you labour chappies received your excellent free education (you used to sit at the back reading your english novels!).

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