Migrants' lawyer's car set alight

The car and front door of a residence were torched early yesterday morning in what appears to be the second arson attack on the Jesuit Refugee Service in the space of a month.

Policemen and firemen rushed to Pope Pius Street, in Sliema, at about 12.45 a.m. yesterday after a car belonging to Katrine Camilleri, a lawyer with the JRS, and the door to her residence, metres across the street, were set ablaze.

Dr Camilleri, and her family, including her two children, aged three and six, were asleep at the time.

"At first I thought it was a storm, but then I heard a crash and realised something was not quite right," Dr Camilleri told The Times, as she was being comforted by neighbours. After failing to douse the fire with water, the family rushed to the roof of the residence, which is next door to an English language school, just metres away from The Strand.

In the meantime, the raging fire which enveloped Dr Camilleri's car spread to a vehicle parked behind it. Both cars were extensively damaged as was the window of another residence.

"The fire was contained because both the police and the fire engine were so quick on the spot," Dr Camilleri said.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

As the smell of kerosene permeated the air, eyewitnesses told journalists how the crackle of the raging fire sounded like a downpour in the dead of night.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina were among those who called Dr Camilleri expressing solidarity.

Dr Camilleri provides legal aid services to irregular immigrants in detention centres and in the community. She is also an NGO representative on the task force on immigration. Two arson attacks on vehicles belonging to the Jesuits took place just days after the priestly order broadcast their views against racism and xenophobia.

In the last one, on March 12, four cars and three vans belonging to the Jesuit community at St Aloysius College, in Birkirkara, were set on fire and completely destroyed.

While condemning the attack, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg vowed that the police would do their utmost to net the perpetrators.

"An attack like this shows weakness instead of reason, and uses violence because there is no reason," Dr Borg said.

The Family and Social Solidarity Ministry said such acts endanger people's lives.

"Whether their intent is simply to scare or to inhibit, in reality they are placing lives at risk, including those of young children."

Gavin Gulia, the Labour Party's main spokesman on home affairs, also condemned the arson attack. "I condemn in the strongest possible manner the violent attack against a person working closely with immigrants which took place in the wake of other similar incidents against the Jesuit community who also work closely with immigrants.

"I have no doubt the attack was motivated by racism and I appeal to the Commissioner of Police to re-double his efforts at finding the perpetrators of these criminal acts and to arraign them.

"I also appeal to the courts to impose sentences that are commensurate with the gravity of the offence," Dr Gulia said.

Jesuit provincial Fr Paul Chetcuti said that the latest attack follows the same pattern as previous ones.

Each arson took place during the night and followed a public statement from the Jesuits in favour of the rights and dignity of undocumented migrants.

The latest attack came on the night following an interview with Fr Ian Stuyt, the Jesuit director of JRS (Europe) in The Times.

The link between the Jesuits' anti-racist stand and the arson attacks "dispels any lingering doubt" as to the motives of those who committed them.

These violent attacks confirm the fact that racial intolerance and xenophobia can only lead to violent intolerance of fellow Maltese citizens who might disagree with such prejudices.

"A country which is unable to open its heart to those in need is a poor country indeed. A country in which violence is used to silence people is indeed morally bankrupt. May our dear Malta be spared this misery," Fr Chetcuti said.

The European Network Against Racism said that the recent acts show clear and strong links to the issues surrounding asylum seekers.

"The perpetrators of these actions are clearly targeting specific individuals who have, over the years and, more importantly, recently, spoken in favour of the protection of the rights of irregular migrants," ENAR said.

"These acts are to us a strong sign of a growing violent group within Malta, which while probably still restricted to a few individuals has now moved on to resort to sheer and indiscriminate acts in violation of law in the propagation of its ideology," warned the network, which is made up of eight organisations.

The Chamber of Architects, expressing solidarity with Dr Camilleri, said it cannot but see a connection between yesterday's attack and the incident in which the Jesuits' cars were set ablaze.

The attack yesterday took place just 12 days after another car, this time in St Vincent Street, parallel to Pope Pius Street, Sliema, was also torched.

In another incident, a blazing tyre was thrown into the garden of a writer who had expressed his sympathies to the plight of refugees in a recently published book.

Duty Magistrate Abigail Lofaro appointed several experts to help her in an inquiry into yesterday's incident.

The police are investigating.