ANR launches campaign against illegal immigration

The organisation known as the Republican National Alliance (ANR) yesterday launched a full-scale, long-term, national campaign against illegal immigration - a series of events that kick off with a demonstration in Valletta on June 5.

The systematic campaign has been organised in view of a "deteriorating" situation, as well as the achievements that resulted from its first demonstration last October, ANR chief spokesman Martin Degiorgio said.

The first demonstration had shown that the public was concerned about illegal immigration and was ready to support the state if it put the national interest at the forefront of its agenda. However, despite the efforts of certain politicians, the government had failed to respond decisively and the problem of illegal immigration has worsened, Mr Degiorgio said.

The government could do a lot more, he insisted, but it was lacking a strong will.

Mr Degiorgio believed more pressure needed to be piled on the EU, which, from the illegal immigration point of view, had let Malta down. Past prime ministers would have made much more noise about the crisis the country was facing on the international front, he said.

The government was not working hard enough on repatriation, as other countries, including Spain and Italy, had done, and while the only solution in the interim was the detention centres, the 18-month detention period meant that everyone and anyone would be out on the streets after a year-and-a-half, no matter what.

Mr Degiorgio hit out at MEPs who had criticised Malta, suggesting it close down its detention centres immediately, without offering any form of assistance.

He pointed out that the African illegal immigrants were only half the problem, and that the "silent invasion" was coming from various fronts, including China, the Middle East and Russia - but these were being ignored.

People from these countries arrived here legally, by air, but stayed on. They worked illegally, or acquired some form of status, taking the jobs of the Maltese, he said.

The racists were those who paid them 75c an hour, while the Maltese were being sidelined because they rightfully demanded more, Mr Degiorgio continued, expressing his surprise that trade unions have not yet spoken up to defend the rights of the Maltese workers.

ANR was intent on raising awareness on this issue and opening a centre where those who had lost their job to a foreigner, or were about to, could file a report.

It was also considering boycotting those companies - many of them major ones - found to have fired Maltese to pay foreigners lower wages.

Still on the issue of employment, Mr Degiorgio gave the example of Chinese restaurants that employed, say, 10 Chinese, who had permits to work as cooks, but worked as waiters. He said the Employment and Training Corporation was not checking whether these employees were doing the job they had a permit to do, and the situation was being abused.

He highlighted what he described as the rampant problem of marriages of convenience, and questioned what the government was doing to protect those that fell into the trap, or did it for financial reasons. Resources and the will to carry out controls, or take action on the most obvious of cases, were lacking, he said.

The state had the responsibility to avoid the loopholes in the law, Mr Degiorgio said, insisting that Maltese citizenship should not be granted so easily after a period of five years - not even after 10 as in certain other countries - in a bid to defend the national identity.

He argued that in a country as small as Malta it did not take much for minority groups to form - just a few thousands could create social problems, and crime was on the increase.

ANR had heavily condemned the recent spate of arson attacks, which Mr Degiorgio described as "terrorist acts", expressing the fear that they could escalate and questioning where they would stop. Those who committed such crimes needed to feel totally isolated and their condemnation had to come from every corner, he said.

Apart from damaging democracy, such acts were also working against ANR, which some people were suspecting were behind the attacks. Echoing the Police Commissioner's words, he said it was dangerous to point fingers, adding that those who were involved in human trafficking could also be suspects.

Mr Degiorgio disassociated ANR completely from extreme right-wingers and insisted that none of its members had been approached by the police. "It would be crazy for ANR to carry out such acts, particularly in view of the fact that public opinion is on our side."

He condemned the "hate climate" generated by both those against illegal immigration and those in favour of multi-culturalism.

Those taking part in the upcoming demonstration would assemble at City Gate, Valletta, at 5 p.m. and then walk to Great Siege Square at 5.45 p.m. Racial slogans would not be allowed, ANR said.