Opposition spokeswoman on Social Dialogue Claudette Buttigieg will be filing formal complaints with the National Council for the Promotion of Equality over Education Minister Evarist Bartolo’s “vulgar and sexist” speech last Sunday and V18 artistic director Mario Philip Azzopardi’s comments against Islam on Facebook.

Wondering why the NCPE and Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli had remained silent, she felt that she had to voice her concerns against Mr Bartolo’s language which, she said was “an insult towards all women”. Was this an abuse of freedom of expression?

Mr Azzopardi, Dr Buttigieg said, had fanned the flames of xenophobia. It was shocking that this case was now closed simply because Mr Azzopardi had simply said he was sorry if he had not been clear or if his comments could be taken to mean was against cultural diversity.

She said that when Malta applied to host the V18 it was asked how it would contribute to highlighting the richness of cultural diversity in Europe. Malta’s response was that it would be an “empathic seat of tolerance, integration and diversity”.

However Mr Azzopardi’s comments certainly did not reflect this and he did not deserve his post.