"Carnival is carnival," Parliamentary Secretary for Animal rights Clint Camilleri said, while weighing in on a debate over a van at the Nadur Carnival which contained writings such as "Mount Carmel Clinic," "Crazy" and "Sick people."

Many took the van to be an attempt to poke fun at persons with mental problems.

Camilleri said that he is convinced that nobody wanted to hurt others, and that there is no need to create a polemic. "After all, this is the traditional Nadur Carnival!" he said.

His statement on Facebook has since been taken down, possibly due to the different reaction by another Parliamentary Secretary.

Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms Julia Farrugia Portelli has also weighed in with an opinion on the van, however did not take the van's depictions lightly. "There's simply nothing funny in this. It is utterly disgusting. We should support #MentalHealthAwareness and rekindle the value of #solidarity," she said.