Prime Minister Joseph Muscat wore a slightly different outfit as he travelled to a European Council meeting in Brussels today, donning a pair of mismatched, colourful socks under his trousers.

This wasn’t a fashion statement, but part of the global “Lots of Socks” campaign to spread awareness about the abilities of people with Down Syndrome.

Held to mark World Down Syndrome Day, the mismatched socks are intended to represent a celebration of differences and to spark conversations about the inclusion of people with Down syndrome in society.

Children and youths from the national Down Syndrome Association visited Parliament yesterday to hand out pairs of socks to MPs and encourage them to spread the word.

“People with Down Syndrome can still contribute to society,” the Association’s president Joanne Xerri said. “People who see us wearing mismatched socks will ask us why we’re doing so and we’ll talk to them about Down syndrome and explain why we shouldn’t fear them but rather treat them like everyone else.”

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]