Whether the "new right" movement will contest the next election or not depends on what happens this summer, Viva Malta spokesman Arlette Baldacchino said.
Viva Malta is the political wing of Imperium Europa, launched by Normal Lowell in February 2003 with the core issue being of "safeguarding the European race and culture".
"If Malta continues to be inundated with illegal immigrants, there would be a groundswell of opposition to them that would support us. We don't need 51 per cent to be in government. All we need are three seats in Parliament and that should not be that difficult to attain if the climate is right," Mr Lowell said.
What if the wave of immigrants is only temporary? Would the movement then have nothing to thrive on?
"The immigration issue is what is pushing people overboard. But there are a host of other issues. The outlook for most people is bleak. They don't see a future in both parties and they believe we can make a difference," he said.
Mr Lowell said globalisation was bringing about clashes of cultures and blending of incompatible beliefs.
"Each culture should keep developing in isolation. If we allow influxes of migrants, we will end up with a monoculture. We want to protect the European race. It's ironic that people try to save animal and plant species from extinction but hardly anyone is speaking about saving the human race. Interbreeding between cultures will eventually lead to a monoculture. Africans should remain Africans just like Asians should remain Asians. We Europeans should remain Europeans," he said.
But why does he make a distinction between humans? "It's because people have been shaped by the environment they live in. The colour of our skin is just one facet. Africans are black because their skin protects them from the sun. Finnish people don't need to be dark skinned because they hardly ever see the sun, while we are darker than the Finns because of our climate. People work in different ways to secure their food and have evolved in different ways and should keep evolving distinctly from one another," he said.
So if a person tries to seek refuge in Malta because there are serious threats to his life, should we simply throw him back in the lion's den because of this ideology?
Ms Baldacchino said the new right was not against refugees but against influxes of economic migrants.
"But I have to qualify that a refugee should seek refuge in a country closer to home, where the culture and religion are the same. It's ironic that most so-called refugees cross the length and breath of Africa and, instead of staying in another African country where there is no trouble, come to Europe. This is what we are up against," she said.
"Those who speak in favour of giving shelter to immigrants should put their money where their mouth is and shelter them themselves, rather than expecting us to pay for their food, lodging and everything else," she said.
"If we are not careful, soon we will start having no-go areas in Malta. Islam has its own culture, which we respect. But they should keep it to themselves not impose their standards and culture on us." Mr Lowell concedes that his idea was often taken as a joke when he first started mooting it publicly. "I used to be invited by youths, some of whom had a laugh when I spoke. But a number of them started seeing reason in what I was saying.
"In our first meeting, we had a diverse group, from skinheads to those wearing jackets and ties. The group is now consolidated. We no longer have any skinheads with us. We have people with minds that think. Not all gardeners are idiots and not all university professors are bright. We have backing from a diversity of backgrounds but most of our support comes from the young and the old.
"From a joke, we have become a real threat to the duopoly of our political system. It is evident that the two main parties have now realised we have surpassed Alternattiva Demokratika with the backing we have, and it's worrying them," he said.
Mr Lowell says it is also unnatural that children are being bombarded with messages not to be racist when people were "racialist" by nature. "They can choose to call us racists. We call them traitors because they are betraying their own kind," he said.
What does he think about the recent wave of arson?
"I do not condone it and we cooperated fully with the police. Most of us have been arrested and questioned time and time again and we have nothing to hide as we have nothing to do with it. I believe the police should start exploring other avenues too now, rather than keep barking up the wrong tree.
"What I find most ironic, however, is that while the Prime Minister and the Jesuits were quick to condemn attacks that were dubbed racist, no one batted an eyelid when a soldier's car was burnt in a racist attack by an immigrant," he said.
'News today, gone tomorrow'
Anthropologist Mark Anthony Falzon says right wing movements "tend to be a rather motley bunch, variable in terms of age, social background, level of education and, above all, beliefs".
With respect to the beliefs, one can identify a number of types. "They usually peddle nostalgia for a mythical past and visions of impending doom. Women tend to be idealised, even as they are relegated to the biological role of reproducers of the ethnic group or race. Foreigners, especially those who look different, are treated with suspicion at best, as are homosexuals and other perceived misfits. They display a fondness for military imagery, commonly concocted from a historically-vague 'golden age'."
Dr Falzon argues that leaders of far right groups are typically "dreamy megalomaniacs who hold special appeal to young people from working or lower-middle class backgrounds. These often feel powerless and alienated from the here-and-now and are as such prone to following anyone who promises a 'new world' and alternative power structures. There is a gender cultural issue involved in that men are more likely to opt for vociferous public action; women, on the other hand, tend towards 'silent' forms of protest through their bodies. This explains why men are usually over-represented in such groups. The advent of cyberspace and the various communities it hosts may change this".
He feels far right beliefs are, to some extent, present in other circles, such as the religious establishment and mainstream nationalist rhetoric. "The term 'far right' after all implies a continuity with some other, presumably more moderate and usually establishment, ideology.
"The Left is no exception, and in order to protect national labour markets, left-wing groups, parties, and unions are sometimes as xenophobic as their 'opponents'. In spite of the fact that the rabid rhetoric of the far right is as obnoxious as it gets, these ideas are more dangerous in their moderate forms, simply because as part of the mainstream they are attached to power structures and are therefore more likely to be put into practice. To my mind, this is definitely the case in Malta at present," Dr Falzon said.
"With this in mind, it is easy to explain the rise of extreme right movements. In times of crisis, be it an immigrant influx or economic depression, groups and cultural entrepreneurs come forward. At some point, they are no longer seen as acceptable to the establishment. They become 'far right'. These movements are not born out of nothing; on the contrary, they are simply a situational extrapolation of otherwise 'acceptable' beliefs about diversity, or the lack of it.
"On an individual basis, far right activities are usually little more than short-lived romances with a cloud cuckoo land where everyone is white and respectable, the women fair and docile, power held by those who deserve it, and people live in total harmony with their surroundings. Basic experience of life usually upsets these fantasies. As organised groups, far right movements tend to be 'news today, gone tomorrow'. The nice moderate people are an entirely different matter," Dr Falzon said.
The 'moderate' right
Launched last September, the Alleanza Nazzjonali Repubblikana (Republican National Alliance) is experiencing more support, its spokesman, Martin Degiorgio, said. The group is about to open an office in Floriana shortly.
ANR does not see eye to eye with Imperium Europa and Viva Malta and would not ask its followers to vote for them if they decide to contest the general election.
"Ideologically we do not agree with Norman Lowell and we can't back him because we feel his statements are dangerous and we see them as potentially inciting and we neither want to encourage any form of violence nor do we condone it in any way," Mr Degiorgio said.
"For us, the ideology of Imperium Europa is crazy. It condemns our own religion and ridicules our language. It is not even a nationalistic ideology as it believes in a Europe of which Malta would be just a region. It is also a very liberal ideology, supporting gay marriages and free use of drugs.
"The only issue we have in common is illegal immigration and even there we have divergences. We do not advocate the shooting of immigrants or say there should be no Africans or Arabs. We are against the influx of illegal immigrants irrespective of whether they are Eastern Europeans or Africans.
"Viva Malta too is not congruent with our ideology. We have more in common with the PN and the MLP than with Viva Malta and would not ask our followers to vote for them," Mr Degiorgio said.
He feels that although Mr Lowell has built a certain cult and has both charisma and oratory skills, some of the things he says are "illogical" and people will not follow him blindly.
Mr Degiorgio said the ANR is "a moderate right wing pressure group with no aspirations to get involved in politics and wants to remain so. We don't want to be in a position where, to compete for votes, we'd have to compromise what we believe in. We want to remain free to speak our minds," Mr Degiorgio said.
"ANR exerts political pressure to put things on the agenda and we can sense a degree of success. Following last October's protest, the government, the opposition and MEPs genuinely tried to better Malta's position and Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg has shown determination to resist various requests by the EU and the UNHCR to dismantle the detention centres. We pity the immigrants, but if we dismantle detention centres, we are simply inviting everyone to come here," Mr Degiorgio said.
"More people are speaking about the issue too. Many are no longer afraid of being branded racist. We live in a democracy and people should feel free to speak their minds. Our followers realise that illegal immigrants end up taking jobs here, even if they are paid far lower than Maltese. But once cheaper labour is available, unscrupulous businessmen would take them on and make Maltese redundant. That's what we are campaigning against. The government should change the law and inflict severe penalties on those employing foreigners illegally because of cheap labour," he said.
Mr Degiorgio believes the ANR will continue to grow even if the immigration issue is solved. "We are a multi-issue group. The immigration issue is the first as it's the most burning issue. We speak the same language as the man in the street and are not after re-inventing the wheel. We will be speaking about justice and crime too. He also spoke about the way some criminals and rapists were getting off with light sentences.
The politicians' view
Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg feels the emergence of a right wing movement is undesirable "because it can be the beginning of a party which is not mainstream".
"So long as it has democratic credentials, and does not indulge in illegal behaviour there is not much one can do. The worst thing would be to create an atmosphere whereby they portray themselves as a victimised group," Dr Borg, who is Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, said.
Asked what he thinks is fuelling the growth of sympathy for the movement, Dr Borg said that although racial intolerance seemed to be the most important alluring factor for most people in relation to this movement, the three political parties now in existence should be united in their stand in favour of human rights of all people in Malta whatever their creed or colour. All had to adopt a common stand on the immigration question and adhere to the country's moral and legal obligations vis-à-vis refugees and immigrants and also take a no-nonsense approach with regard to rejected asylum seekers.
Labour leader Alfred Sant said that rather than the rise of an extreme right wing movement, he sensed a rise in racist sentiment, fanned by extreme right-wingers among the many people who are feeling the absence of a sufficiently balanced approach in the national interest to addressing the issue of illegal immigration.
"We need action to stop this kind of sentiment. On the one hand, those on the extreme right should be ignored by the media so that there would not be easy dissemination of their ideas. But we also need to address the concerns of those who feel threatened and undermined by illegal immigration.
"We have to retain our human values, human rights and solidarity but have to respect the national interest."
Asked if he would be concerned if right wing movements were to contest general elections, Dr Sant said: "Everyone has a right to express oneself politically, but one needs to respect fundamental democratic values. Fascism and nazism cannot be tolerated".
Xenophobia is real and present
Sociologist Mario Vassallo feels that although Malta is already experiencing the emergence of a right-wing movement, he doubts whether it will ever be large enough to be able to get to Parliament in the short or medium term.
Prof. Vassallo said it was difficult to quantify what kind of support a right-wing movement might have.
"On the other hand, feelings about certain issues, and specifically the extent of racial intolerance among the Maltese, have been measured. The Sunday Times opinion study on the subject I carried out last year showed xenophobia is so extensive that only 16.7 per cent of the Maltese are willing to give shelter to persons who have been officially proven to have escaped from their country of origin and been accorded refugee status.
"No significant differences emerge when the data is analysed by age, but socio-economic groups show significant differences, with those in the AB socio-economic group showing they are much more willing to favour shelter than those in the C or DE socio-economic groups".
Asked about whether he believed that the presence of so many coloured immigrants in many working class areas contributed to the growth of the right-wing movement, Prof. Vassallo said it was well known that perceptions and attitudes are strengthened when there are situations deemed to be a threat.
"In Malta, many perceive the advent of illegal immigrants as such a threat. The concentration of them in certain specific areas, probably fuelled by the odd incident that does not put these persons in the best of light, contributes to the negative perception. Perceptions are also fuelled by what people hear on TV and read in newspapers.
"A content analysis of Maltese newspapers published over a three month period in the summer of 2004 actually showed that the level of tolerance exhibited in some newspapers was quite different from that expressed in others," he said.
Asked whether those who were raising concerns about the presence of illegal immigrants could be called racist, Prof. Vassallo said racism was generally understood as a belief system separating human beings into various groups based on physical attributes such as the colour of their skin or religion and that, according to the groupings that result, one can predict the worth of an individual and one's value as a human being, with the direct effect that some human beings are automatically considered superior to others.
"This is, of course, wrong both from a civil point of view, and even more so from a Christian point of view. However, this does not mean that all those concerned about the problem that Malta and other countries, such as Italy and Spain are facing, are necessarily racist. There are serious economic considerations that a country facing a sudden influx of persons from abroad has to face.
"Lack of employment opportunities and the correct infrastructure, both economic and social, can disrupt the well-being of that society. It is therefore wise to be concerned when such problems arise. What is not wise is to attack these individuals, to be racist in attitude and to denigrate them. Problems will be compounded not solved with these kinds of attitudes.
"At the same time concerted action, both within a particular country and on the international level, can contribute a lot to solutions for what are essentially human problems. I think it is indeed the duty of every citizen to work on his or her concern and contribute to ways and means, depending on one's position in society and one's means, to help those who have a worthy cause and enable them to solve the problems that made them leave their own country in the first instance," Prof. Vassallo said.