So it finally happened: a grass roots revolt against the unconditional and passive submission to illegal immigration. The people of Lampedusa revolted and fought back for their very survival as a community. The negative effects of a continuous, barely contained, invasion by illegal immigrants could not be tolerated anymore. The Lampedusians took the situation in hand and, being cornered, fought against a remote, uncaring and unprepared central government.

It is correct to speak about a moral and humanitarian obligation to extend assistance to people in immediate danger of death through drowning on the high seas. There is no way that one can argue against this basic principle of human solidarity, a principle that must be upheld and supported. But what happened in Lampedusa has nothing to do with the denial of this basic principle, which the islanders believe in.

The revolt has to do with what follows after this principle is upheld. What happens after these illegal, economic migrants are rescued on the high seas?

This is where there is a great divide between the so-called political correctness and the rest of the silent majority citizens. The political correctness unconditionally upholds that, after the rescue, a fresh set of obligations and duties become incumbent on the rescuers.

The silent majority of citizens think and feel otherwise. The people of Lampedusa by their action and behaviour, under tremendous pressure, refused to be counted with the politically correct group.

It is now evident that a vast majority of Italian citizens do not accept the way illegal economic immigrants and human traffickers are exploiting and abusing international refugee agreements which have been accepted by democratic nations to afford protection to bona fide refugees.

By their action and behaviour, these illegal economic migrants are jeopardising the respect that must be accorded to these agreements. In other words, we are witnessing a flagrant abuse of international law. This abuse cannot and should not be tolerated by the Mediterranean EU countries. It is now clear and accepted that at most, only five per cent of illegal immigrants are genuine asylum seekers. The EU Mediterranean states must unite and face the rest of the EU countries which consistently show selfish disinterest in the problem.

Unfortunately, this issue of illegal economic migration cannot be understood and debated objectively because of the attitude taken up by politically correct people.

These people make half-baked arguments which just highlight an obligatory submission to responsibilities which supposedly arise from an illegal act by an immigrant.

It is about time that abused nations seriously team up to define ways and means to prevent the occurrence of this abuse and accelerate an effective mode of repatriation. Agreements and collaboration should occur with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisa and Libya to prevent the illegal departure of economic migrants and to identify in situ the bona fide refugees.

The governments of the EU Mediterranean countries have an obligation to protect their citizens from negative consequences arising from submission to invasion.

Malta is a small state, over-populated with limited territory. There are severe limitations in respect of facilities that can be made available.

There must be no fear of the unjust and unfair accusation of intolerance and racism that the politically correct are so easily inclined to shoot at whoever dares to disagree with their opinions.

One is not being uncaring or racist in attempting to tackle a problem that may get out of hand with Lampedusian consequences.

When the leader of the Union of Nurses draws our attention to an already stretched Mater Dei Hospital, and tells us that the hospital is not in a position to cater for additional patients imported from abroad, he is not making an uncaring and racist remark. He is simply stating a fact that the politically correct should accept and respect.

The people of Lampedusa too stated a fact when they revolted. They are not uncaring and racist. They revolted out of desperation and what happened was not edifying to witness.