All You Need Is Love is a well-known song by the legendary group The Beatles. The message is clear. We are called to love and to be loved.

Sadly, a small group of anti-migrant fellows had no love to speak of when, recently, 234 exhausted people on board a rescue ship berthed after a six-day ordeal. They were insulted and emotions ran high. This was the latest race-aggravated incident.

It not only showed a demeaning attitude on the part of the protesters themselves, but it also exposed a worrying trend.

All social indicators underline that racism is home to many. The latest surveys indicate that this daunting issue is becoming a top concern. Maybe this is the reason specific politicians on both sides of the fence are sliding to the right side of politics.

If hunters and trappers were appeased in the past, is it now the right-wingers’ turn to receive such a courtesy.

Are they the emerging blackmail vote lobby to be pampered?

But are politicians not supposedly voted in to inspire and lead us to higher ground rather than going with the flow?

Hopefully, some will not shy away from being steadfast and resolute that values must and ought to come before votes.

Racism is based on fear, bigotry, historical, cultural prejudices and a lack of knowledge of the unknown. People who have a different skin colour or a different lifestyle or creed can provoke a sense of insecurity. Diversity can cause social anxiety.

On the other hand, the value of solidarity, which has defined us throughout the years, even during turbulent times, is not based on opinion polls. The value of solidarity is a core fundamental human value of our civilisation. It is the cornerstone of our democratic credentials and the main pillar of our Christian ethos.

The problems posed by the movement of people are complex, with no clear-cut, easy solutions. The movement of people is a global issue with comprehensive ramifications. It requires nothing less than international commitment from all stakeholders.

Malta cannot permanently host all those people searching refuge but it cannot actively refuse humanitarian assistance either. And it certainly should not stop or block the rescue of distraught people.

We need to be promoters of a healthy, well-informed discussion. We must bear in mind solidarity and the well-being of others. On the one hand, we are dealing with a human tragedy and on the other, human trafficking. We must part ways with hysterical, racist outbursts by rabble-rousers.

The value of solidarity, which has defined us throughout the years, is not based on opinion polls

We must act fast if we are to avoid having a xenophobic political movement engineered by the likes of Matteo Salvini.

What factors condition a healthy discussion? Is it the fear of people of colour?

It is ironic that racist sentiments are not attributed to ‘other’ people, those who are members of a different race.

So, why do we feel so insecure in front of people of colour?

My reading is that, over the centuries, our society identified evil and negative experience with anything black. Culturally, we mourn our beloved departed in black attire. The Turks in the Great Siege were coloured. Remember the ‘black bogeyman’ who kept us under parental control?

Even in our religious iconography, evil is personified in the form of a dark figure. Although this might be a simplistic explanation, subconsciously it does make us wary of coloured people. We need to go beyond the colour of the skin.

Is it the fear of being invaded?

Over the centuries, our island has been invaded by various powers. We fear history might repeat itself. But we have more people arriving from our own continent and Asia than from African countries.

Due to our limited geographical space, should we then set a limit? If yes, what is the desired threshold?

But should we then also set a limit on how many tourists we can host? How much can our infrastructure take? St Julian’s is just one location where we have an oversaturation of tourists.

Should we also set a limit on how much and where we can continue to develop and build? Is this building frenzy sustainable?

Indeed, will the construction lobby accede to this request?

Is it the fear of being taken over?

I am more concerned that Malta is being taken over by certain fat cats, overtly enabled by the government, who are systematically and unashamedly damaging our democratic credentials and the rule of law. I am more concerned about those destroying our limited environment to satisfy their own selfish gratification, not to mention the dubious ‘new citizens’ who buy our ‘golden passport’

What sheer hypocrisy.

Lastly, it is good to ponder on what St Paul, a refugee himself on our island, had to say: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Hopefully, we do not end up being a noisy gong nation.

Let love be the answer. All we need is love.

Albert Buttigieg is deputy mayor of St Julian’s.