Editorial

In a thriving democracy everyone enjoys fundamental human rights, including the right of association and the right of freedom of expression. It is in that context that movements, such as the nascent Republican National Alliance (ANR), are allowed to hold public manifestations, make statements and are allotted air time and newspaper columns by the media.

So even if one were not to agree with the way ANR and its exponents express themselves, this being a civilised country, they are still tolerated, as indeed they should be. However, the ANR must also understand that others have rights too, like criticising and making their own statements, including by deciding to boycott public activities as happened last Thursday. Alas, the attitude and declarations made during that same event risk alienating ANR from level-headed and law-abiding citizens who, however worried with the steady influx of illegal immigrants, fear any hint of far right behaviour and are perturbed by the recent spate of arson which many link to the illegal migration problem.

The ANR can invoke statistics to prove it enjoys support. Yet, it cannot take anything for granted.

Its latest manifestation was ostensibly called to protest against illegal immigration. But, pray, can anybody, except for a criminal, ever be in favour of something that is illegal? So what exactly was ANR protesting against?

What we should be discussing is whether the authorities are doing all they could to address the problem, whether tiny Malta is receiving adequate assistance by the international community and whether the presence of so many migrants who land here unexpectedly presents any sort of threat to the country and its people and, if so, what sort of threat and how best should the situation be approached and alleviated.

In the run-up to Thursday's protest, ANR insisted that racial slogans would not be allowed. No such slogans may have been seen at the manifestation. But who did turn up for the demonstration? Norman Lowell, leader of the far right movement Imperium Europa, who is facing charges of inciting racial hatred, together with some of his followers. Did he have the right to be there? Of course he did. But in order to be consistent with what they say their beliefs are, the ANR spokesmen should have publicly, at the demonstration, disassociated themselves from such elements and, indeed, denounced Mr Lowell's views on how illegal migrants should be treated.

Instead, the two ANR spokesmen who addressed the event hit out at the Maltese media.

"We are doing the utmost for Malta, even though our work is hindered by the media which wants to put us in a bad light," the ANR's main spokesman, Martin Degiorgio, said. The media reports facts and statements and if any organisation feels it is in a bad light it should first scrutinise what it is doing and saying.

ANR official Paul Salomone went one step further, attacking the "Communist Maltese media" for criticising his group, even naming a number of columnists, commentators and journalists. So Mr Salomone can hit out at anybody he pleases but expects his ANR to be beyond reproach!

This not to mention a whole list of contradictions.

ANR and its exponents need to take stock of the situation and put their house in order. They must find out why the public, most of whom would be against illegal immigration, stayed away from their manifestation.