Monday, 30th June 2008
Migrant 'beaten' by police
Admits to assaulting officers
A Sudanese immigrant who yesterday admitted in court to assaulting three police officers had himself been brutally beaten by a group of policemen while he was handcuffed and defenceless, eyewitnesses have told The Times.
"He was in the foetal position, handcuffed and the police were kicking him and slammed him against their van," eyewitness Rebecca Filletti told The Times.
The incident occurred in Paceville's main square in the early hours of Saturday morning in front of a large number of witnesses, even though hardly anyone did anything about it.
Ms Filletti approached the police officers to question their behaviour and was arrested.
"As soon as I started asking questions, they asked for my identification and my details... I said: Why? I did nothing wrong. I want to know why you are arresting this man because what you are doing is wrong. At that point they arrested me," she said.
Ms Filletti, who studies refugee law, had offered to assist the man. She was taken to the St Julians police station and was released only after her boyfriend and some other friends went to the station to see what was going on.
Her version of events was corroborated by Bernard Galea. "There is no way this would have happened had the guy been Maltese," he said, while stressing that the level of violence used was excessive.
He said the police kept hitting the man even though he was handcuffed and that he did not retaliate since he was outnumbered by five policemen.
Similarly, Ms Filletti said: "The man did not put up a fight. He merely lay on the ground crying and screaming for them to stop, saying he had done nothing wrong".
Questions were sent to the police for their version of the story yesterday but no response was received by the time of going to print.
The Home Affairs Ministry, however, was more forthcoming. "We will not tolerate any irresponsible behaviour by the police force but we need to corroborate these allegations so we would strongly encourage these eyewitnesses to file a report with the police internal affairs unit as soon as possible," Darryl Pace, a spokesman for the ministry said.
The man, 27-year-old Suleiman Ismail Abubaker, admitted in court to assaulting officers and damaging the police van yesterday and was handed down a 10-month jail term suspended for two years and fined €300.
The incident was sparked off by an argument he had with another man outside Burger King in Paceville at about 3.30 a.m. The eyewitnesses who spoke to The Times arrived on the scene when the police officers got involved but the second man was not seen by either of them.
A number of bystanders followed Mr Abubaker and Ms Filletti to the St Julians police station to demand information about the man who they felt was treated abusively. There they saw him handcuffed to a railing and later to a bench, sprawled on the floor with wrists bleeding, a gash on his arms, a bruised face and a swollen eye.
"Help me, help me, I promise I will never come to Paceville again," he was heard saying.
"He was treated like an animal, like a dog," Katrina Zammit Cuomo said, pointing out that the police shut the door of the station for about 15 minutes after the crowd that gathered dem-anding that the man be treated humanely.
The people who were at the station and who spoke to this newspaper claimed that the man was being treated inhumanely.
The same three police officers whom Mr Abubaker admitted he had assaulted made similar allegations in court yesterday against another migrant, Kaba Konate, 26, from the Ivory Coast - who also admitted that he had violently resisted them. He was given an eight-month jail term suspended for two years.
However, here too, an eyewitness account of an arrest in Paceville, which tallies with that of Mr Konate in terms of the time and place of arrest, suggests that the man was manhandled.
Matthew Caruana Galizia said he saw a Maltese and a black man arguing outside a club on St George's Road, Paceville at about midnight (the police said the incident took place at 12.35 a.m. in front of a club in the same road).
The dispute had not turned physical by then but seven policemen came running over the hill and went straight for the black man, knocked him down, "lifted him up like a sack of potatoes and threw him into a police van with no questions asked" while allowing the Maltese man to leave, said Mr Caruana Galizia, who was also part of the crowd that gathered outside the police station.
"Friday night was like a witch hunt. It was crazy. I was shocked," he said.
Neil Falzon, head of the UNHCR office in Malta, said he was aware of the case involving Mr Abubaker.
"I will be strongly advising people making such claims to file a report to the Police Commissioner.
"If the allegations are confirmed, I believe we are dealing with a very serious situation and I expect the authorities to take action and see to it that nothing like this happens again.
"Obviously, I cannot pass judgment for the time being but it is definitively worrying that we are getting so many of these reports."
He reported that just two days ago the UNHCR office received a similar report from a migrant who said he had an argument with a local and that the police arrested him without even questioning the other man.
"We strongly suggested that the man files a police report but he refused saying he was afraid because he works in the area," he said.
Comments
If a soldier or a policeman does the same thing vice versa...than he`s a racist..so `x arukaza`.
The opinion of people counts - if they expect the Police to dissapoint them than they are likely to vote very high when asked the question. But as it is, they KNOW the police by reputation so they are Not affected because its what they expect.
Rember the anger when we hear about a priest involved in any abuse? The facts are that per capita, the priests are less likely to be abusers, however the people are angry because they expect the Priest to be above this. Here the same applies, but the people do not expect the Police to be above this, because they already KNOW what the police are doing in many cases.
Thankou for the shortcut , worth viewing if still in doubt. Here a fat inspector, kicks an elderly women whilst she is tied up in seat belt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmPg5YwLvNk
Very brave act pal, you'd need to loose all your weight and shave the touch, but cant hide!
To address your first question, please note that The Times survey question does not specify whether the "effect" is positive or negative. To those whose confidence had already been very low, any negative net effect would have been negligible, and hence voted "no" as a result.
A more effective close-ended survey question would have been:
How has the alleged violence affected your confidence in the MPF:
1) positively
2) negatively
3) not interested
Note that one would be tempted to propose a fourth option, namely,
4) no effect
but again, this would bias the result against option (2) if participants already have a very negative opinion of the MPF.
Survey questions, and other methods used by the media, can be manipulated. That's how so many end up getting suckered into believing this and into believing that, without ever finding the truth.
Of course there are allegations, and some are very serious and disconcerting. In my view, however, it is not in our realm to make judgments and draw conclusions. As responsible citizens, our duty is to pressure MPs to ensure that competent investigations are conducted.
blocking the main roads,and if you will not stop, be sure that stones will follow, to your car.
When reporting this, you will be told, how we are going to regognice them?
For the love of GOD,let the police do their job, in protecting you against these illegal immigrants, that are bringing nothing to us, but extreme discomfort to our country
"... the police broke the law by allegedly being violent with a human being. Full stop!"
One is not deemed to have "broke[n] the law" on the basis of "alleg[ation]". Under Maltese law, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Please read below what this man says. Its a free assessment and if M ADALLA is right we should thank him for reminding us what most of us know but prefer to forget.
We have had attitude problems before the immigrants turned up and we will still have them. Today, we hear swearing even at the cemetery, by the same people who work there as if its their premises. This seems to be applicable in most places. Most issues between us are territorial so when the claim is against a black, penniless, unfamiliar, unconnected creature we excel at showing our teeth. If the person was either rich, famous, connected etc I doubt very much if the abusers would risk tying him/her up in case they sneeze on them.
Thank you Mohamad Aballa for the firm and courageous statement telling us your experience about ourselves and how widespread you believe it is. Its up to us
Nowhere in my comments did I attempt to defend the police in this case. My comments may have been misinterpreted. My point is that one cannot hastily jump to conclusions by reading solely the versions of witnesses. The versions reported by the witnesses are true, but true from their perspective and only part of the complete story. The internal inquiry should give us the other part.
There is one point which deserves mention. According to some, it is not unusual for police to use excessive force in Paceville. It may thus wrongly appear that this case is just another incident. If such practice is truly common in Paceville, then I suggest that witnesses and victims of all incidents approach the media to put pressure on the Commissioner of Police to conduct and investigation into police behaviour, particularly in Paceville.
That's why there is early retirement. In any case, joining the police force is optional, and not forced on anyone.
This is not an attack on the police force. This is an attack on "macho" men who relish abusing their power. Those who think that all criticism of this incident is an attack on the police force are implying that they agree that the police force should use exessive force, or worse, enjoy beating up people.
I am sure that civilised and honest police men and women would condemn such abuses.
I want to imagine the comments on the Maltese media if for example we have to face a situation similar like that of July 2005 in London when a Brazilian was shot seven times in the head by Scotland Yard officers who mistook him for a suicide bomber. Although this was a serious mistake, with such an attitude from some, a Maltese officer in that scenario would be pushed psychologically to go and live abroad or worse. Claims should be professionally investigated by competent authorities and not through the media that must be an observer of events and report such fair and square after investigating all info.
It may have escaped your notice, but this 'blog' is in response to a report in the Times and people have the right to voice their opinions.
Don't tell me the Police have a hard job in Malta when you compare it to other countries. I have seen Police in uniform smoking in pubs. I have been subjected to their arrogance when I reported a crime once and was made to feel like I was interupting their coffee break.
If people are dwelling on the negative it is because this is what they see from our Police force. It has been mentioned here that the police are here to protect the Maltese, but let me enlighten some of you. They are here to serve and protect everyone on these islands, including foreigners, tourist or otherwise.
It is no wonder we have a police force that has a high number of thugs if people like you give them a free reign to do as they wish by giving them your unquestioning support.
Women are not more emotionally intelligent than men, it simply a different form of emotional intelligence. Check the research before making such wild claims.
As for having a personality assessment done within minutes of someone opening their mouth, well thats great! Makes you wonder why fully trained psychologists need a few sessions and sophisticated techniques to do the same and even then allow for a margin of error!
MAY i REMIND THE WOMAN WHO SAID THIS THAT IN AN EIGHT HOUR SHIFT.. THESE PEOPLE DO NOT SOMETIMES HAVE A FEW MINUTES TO STOP FOR A SHORT BREAK OR EVEN TO VISIT THE BATHROOM.. LIKE SHE PROBAbLY DOES AT HER JOB!!!!.
So for once let the Internal affars deal with this situation and stop going on about the police force and what they should and shoudn't have done.. One has to be in their position and live their reality of their job.. to speak about what they really face in their line of duty!!!!
To believe, under any given circumstance, that someone is more human than another is technically racist. Nowhere, in this particular blog, I can find in her four posts that Louise Vella has said or implied that she holds such a belief. I say technically because you are making a comparison, that is, you believe that Ms Vella is "less" human than someone else, thus you assert inferiority on the part of Ms Vella. Although Ms Vella may not always sound all that articulate, nowhere does she make the "comparison" that is absolutely essential to qualify any of her statements as racist. It is the comparison that is key to the definition of racism. In one hit, against her four hits, you made that comparison, not Ms Vella.
Racism is all too common on this small island and anyone who says the police were right to use excessive force on a detainee once handcuffed and rendered no threat only serves to sully the name of this island further.
I have observed many incidents of racism by bus drivers, police, doormen at certain entertainment establishments and by ordinary citizens.
In my view you get the police force you deserve and for those who agree that the police were right in their actions in this matter, i say, I hope you never find yourselves on the receiving end of one of our bully police officers.
If those officers involved are not dealt with swiftly then any confidence those of us who are appalled by such behaviour will evaporate further.
Most of the homicides in Malta, Mr Spiteri, are those of Maltese women killed by their Maltese husbands.
Having said that, violence in the hands of police has the use of repressing illegal violence, and not of punishment. Punishment is solely in the hands of the Court.
this I believe is the crux of the matter. As many have said here, in general the police in Malta have still not understood that they are not the institution that punishes crime, but the institution that stops crime. There is a fine line indeed, but hopefully police officers spend some years at a police academy, where among other things, this fine line is made clear to them.
I strongly believe that the police force should be respected by all. However, the respect should be reciprocal.
While on the subject of beatings, I think the attitude of bouncers should also be mentioned. Some bouncers seem to think that their job gives them the authority to beat people without any repercussions.
Aren't beatings becoming too widespread? Should people working in these environments be taught other methods to deal with certain difficult situations in which their power is brought into question?
No Daphne... the problem is not from our side, but yours... you are the judgmental one... and you indulge in that unpleasant aspect of your personality with inequivalent vigour.
As for the rest.. it is incredible how we are so eager to beat up others simply because they not only have more organised melanin in their skin, but because they are different. Disgusting thugs, that's what we've become. Glory be to our wonderful island, inhabited by descendants of Phoenician immigrants (without any documents, of course) and a hotchpotch of Arabic and European cultures. And praise be to our police force - though I stress the point that NOT ALL are to blame... far from it!
Oh no you never implied that excessive police brutality used to happen only under Labour Governments. No not really!! Your comments only gave a minor hint to that particular conclusion, isn’t it? It is like when Labour party supporters couldn’t get married within a church when PN was in Government a few years back. I’m not implying that the PN Government was using the church as a deter for being a Labour supporter. It just happened as a coincidence.
In Malta we have a law which states that anyone who intentionally puts a child's life in jeopardy should face criminal charges. this should also apply to illegal immigrants who use children as 'human shields' to make sure they get what they want. our politicians got no spine - they abdicated on the primary law of government (to defend their own citizens ) a long time ago. indeed they prosecute you for attempting to raise the alarm. in any other time of human history these very politicians would have been tried for treason.
A man was beaten up. He was set upon by several men in uniform who were assisted by one who was not. he was handcuffed and taken away in a van to a police station where he was handcuffed to a bench. Several eye witness saw the incident and the state he was in. What more do you need to know to believe that this actually happened? *Why* it happened is irrelevant - except to an attempt to shift blame to the man himself.
@ Corinne Vella - "Since I was not there I will refrain from passing any comments, no where in my post did I condone the ALLEGED police men's behaviour."
is addressed to Joanne Micallef.
Your argument just does not hold water. If the incident has an element of racism at its roots, one's race is vital to the report.
It is frightening to hear of such actions by some in the Malta police but what would be worse is if the officials involved get away unscathed. One thing I do not miss about leaving these wonderful islands is the number of untouchables in every strata of Maltese society. Thugs are not necessarily the ones decorated in tattoos.
What is amazing me is the way you and others are reacting as though this is a new problem and confined to illegal immigrants only.
The police have absolutly no right to hit anyone, even when assaulted they should only use minimum force to restrain and control the person concerned and once that person is restrained they definatly have no reason or justification to hit anymore.
Any police who act like street brawlers should be disciplined and if needs be removed from the force but i'm not holding my breath.
It seems to me the only way we are going to solve this problem is by carefull screening of new officers, weeding out of elements already in the force and an intense education campaign, combined with disciplining of any officers caught abusing their power whoever is on the recieving end.
On the other hand it seems like Lowell's prophecies seem to be materialising on a daily basis with the situation fast getting out of hand and we, as a nation, and for a multitude of reasons, just don't know how to handle it. EU help is urgently needed.
I agree with Claire Bonello that race shouldn't be specified when reporting crimes. However, the same goes for this letter: the police beat up a guy, whether he was a migrant or not shouldn't have been stated.
It's too late for that, I'm afraid. You are as free to refrain from passing comments as you are free to make them when you see fit. But you didn't refrain from passing comments, did you? No, you stopped to tell us that we should all wait for the result of an inquiry before forming and expressing an opinion on the fact that a man was beaten by the police. Perhaps what you wished to say is that you don't believe the eyewitnesses , whose testimony will form part of the inquiry you mention?. As for AN, the less you say the better. The party took an openly racist stance in the last election. Unless I'm very much mistaken, it is still run by the same leader. That is not prejudice. It is a fact.
Fire them all and let's start afresh, with educated people for a change!
Forget the male immigrants for just a moment. Do you think that the women who come here the same way, risking not only their lives but also that of their children - most recently a 2-month old baby - would do so capriciously? How can you even begin to say that they "pretend" to be in distress? Yes, the fact that several immigrants were "stranded" in rapid succession coincidentally all near the tuna pens does give rise to suspicion, but is it not the organizers of these trips - themselves criminals for carrying out such acts - who are at fault? Think about it.
@Louise Vella- Read, and understand what you read please. thallatx il hass mal bass - "mixing up lettuce with flatulence". As a matter of fact the Maltese words for lettuce and flatulence rhyme better because they both end in "ass".
Your racist attitude is crystal clear.
I see it. I feel it. I touch it.
the public expects thorough investigations from the police commissioner and the interior minister on this and other recent incidents involving the police force, like the bastjan borg incident at qormi last march 2007 and the nicholas azzopardi case in april 2008. To my knowledge the only recent investigation concluded was the one concerning the french lady who was beaten up in paceville in june 2007.
i think this goes beyond racist issues-what about educational background and training of our officers? what are the criteria being followed for selecting prospective police officers?
@ Louise Vella and ilks
Brain washed people keep saying same thing every day. More dangerously is when they issue false statements like what you are doing. Are you doing so to get noticed ?
No matter how you try, all your comment are based either racism , xenophobia or Islamophobia.
All forms of racism must be abolished, and this includes racist peoples cloaked with patriotism robe in order to come into sight patriots like!
…………………………
Actually we are fortunate, such peoples form a minority among us, and eventually they will disappear. If mistakenly they presume, they are increasing and form a majority that enable them to take a role in the political arena, they will be flushed into drainage, similar to what happened in Malta last March.
Until this case is investigated those responsible should be suspended from their duties until the result of the investigation is made public.
Let us all be carefull how to put our comments towards the police corp. Let us not try to excuse those who acted violently against one single person lets praise the majority of the police members who carry out their duty in a very responsible manner especially those on duty during the weekend nights in a very difficult and dangerous area like that of Paceville and the near by areas.
should be investigated by an indipendent
The not distinguishing between this small number of police d uthose
As is the norm, under PN Malta turns into a Zimbabwe!
Incidentally, one is curious as to whether one has managed to educate one's son and behave himself like a decent well behaved person in public and not as seen on TV prior to the election!
Take note of what M Abdala says below - migrants will one day leave, but the exploitation, discrimination and hostility they face when here will remain with us.
Louise Vella: Here's one person who noticed the headline you mention. I fail to see how that headline justifies the spiteful stand you're taking here. What exactly are you trying to say? That it's alright to beat up a black person because there are too many black people here?
Tony Pace: Don't ever put your hands in your trouser pockets. You might be beaten up on the suspicion of carrying a weapon.
Incidentally, I notice that more than one person has asked the same question that I asked earlier, though not in the same words: on what grounds do you claim that the crime rate is higher among migrants than among Maltese citizens a group which, incidentally, includes some migrants too? Perhaps that's because you don't have an answer at all.
Is your comment meant to make us conclude that because the police were unsure whether he had a weapon then they were justified in beating him? I would think that in all arrests made police would not know whether the arrested is armed or not. Should they have beaten Ms Filletti to pulp because they had no way to know that she was not armed?
Shame on those of us who are justifying violence. The Police are there to uphold and enforce the law and not to act as if they are above it.
and your point is? are you implying that while he is here we are entitled to beat them to pulp?
Most of you are simply choosing to miss the main point here: that the police broke the law by allegedly being violent with a human being. Full stop!
Imagine a teacher hitting one of your children: what would you have said, then? Certainly, you would have wanted his head on a platter. Ah, but those are Maltese, and those are children - well, probably if it were an African child, it wouldn't matter! No. What is important for you is that whatever does not hit home is ok for you.
@ Louise Vella: So, anyone who is not contributing financially or culturally should be beaten by the police. How much are you yourself contributing culturally to this Euroafrican society in which we belong? Go to some village festas, when the cream of the village comes out in huge numbers, and see for yourself what culture there is left among us! All those half-naked brats, many of them illiterate, who thank God that beer-cans come in different colours so they know which to choose, running about, creating mayhem!
You are all mistaking the wood for the trees.
My point earlier was simple.
Police aggression SHOULD never be tolerated.
It seems that police are habitually abusing their rights, be it with Maltese or foreigners.
It is wrong to highlight this case because the victim was African!
It is wrong to think that this abuse is reserved solely for Africans. The same people who allegedly committed this crime, might do the same to your mother, son, or as previously seen, even to your grandmother!
I do believe that we do have a potential, crime related problem with illegal immigrants, but THIS case has nothing to do with it!
A call for an enquiry should be made, and lets hope it doesn't take as long as the usual enquiries!
Jeremy: first you say that you and your friend couldn't be bothered to protest against abuse, and then you say that abuse should never be tolerated. Which one is it?
I would like you to re read and find were I had stated that I could not be bothered. Why do you have to misquote simple sentences just to make an inexistant point?
I trust that you know how hard making a complaint is, without the extra onus of the victim not wanting to make the complaint, and refusing to testify for fear of retribution!
Please heed.
What it boils down to is not simply an unacceptable police force, but to deep-rooted racism and sheer ignorance. (As is the expression favoured by many - usually "holy" people - on being left out of something, for example, which goes: "Mela jien iswed?")
It's true that Malta has changed and is not the Malta we knew 30 or 40 years ago (in many ways changed for the better, mind you), What many people seem to ignore is the fact that much of the crime - even if it is petty crime - is perpetrated by non-Maltese Europeans. But maybe most don't seem to take notice, because they're not "black".
It is good to speak out on every injustice-maybe someday you'll be the victim......
There are not enough law enforcement personnel on the island.
I think that the interior minister should institute an official inquiry into these allegations to check on their truthfulness and so that disciplinary action can be taken if necessary. A police corps whose head does not inform his minister of the death of someone who allegedly escaped from police custody can hardly be expected to take the necessary disciplinary action in the case of the use of excessive force.
If it was one policeman against five "unruly" civilians (whatever their colour), then RETALIATION would have been understandable. But five policemen attacking one man, and then again for no apparent reason? Whatever next?
Unfortunately, I have found myself having to tell my young children (aged 6 and 8) about the incident, simply to let them know that yes, "bad" policemen DO exist.. More so because I firmly believe that it is vital for them to be aware that persons in a position of trust may sometimes be abusive too.
Try doing this to an illegal immigrant in another EU country. The officers would have had to resign immediately. Why keep belting a person while handcuffed.
Do you know why this poor person left his homeland? He was probably beaten up by corrupt police in his corrupt country governed by a dictatorship.
Why do you voice your views when it only happens in our country. Where have you lot been when atrocities are committed in other countries?
Shame on ourselves. Shame, because this is not Christianity!
Jekk bniedem tistmah ta' annimal, bhall annimali jgibu ruhom.
My husband, a Maltese lawyer who is neither black nor the sort to get into fights, was similarly beaten half to a pulp 22 years ago by a group of five policeman, in a similar incident. This report brought back those horrible memories. His only crime was to try to pull his mother out of a crowd of protestors who had been attacked by the police (they were all middle-aged women).
I am appalled to see that little has changed, and I am truly disgusted to realise that I share this island with people who have the sentiments and attitude of thugs, even if they do have names like Iris Azzopardi and Louise Vella.,
I am heartened though by the fact that a handful of Maltese youth stood up to be counted in the face of this shameful act of racism. Thank you Ms Filletti (and friends) for your courage to be different.
What makes you think thet the person is an ILLEGAL immagrant and not a recognised refugee (and hence fully legal)?
Not that it should make any CIVILISED person, but you wouldn't know about that!
Now let's see what they will say about this case.
But never never will I tolerate abuse of power. You must be ashamed of yourself for sustaining that the police are right in this. They have no right to brutally assault someone be it black, white, blue or grey.
If Police have a nervous breakdown, take it to the gym and loose the doughnut
Anyone who knows me knows i'm no fan of theirs.
However they do have a difficult job to do and when one of their own gets assaulted they
do tend to go on the war path and their reaction is the same whetever your colour.
The only point i'm making is that it is not racism!!!
Commissioner Rizzo needs to clean up his Augean Stables
This is just the beginning of the end of a peaceful, no crime, Tourist Island as we all knew how Malta was and how every foreigner who visited the island, described to me.
However, there are some who take ghoulish pleasure at the very thought of an immigrant being beaten up. Rascism rearing its ugly head yet again
Also in today's Orizzont one can read what is happeneing in Marsa, and what our police officers are having to deal with on a daily basis http://www.l-orizzont.com/news.asp?newsitemid=45411.
@Louise Vella
Do you read newspapers or listen to news? I doubt!
That's an interesting statement. Where is it documented that there are more wife beaters and murderers, child abusers, thieves, fraudsters, fences, rapists, pimps, extortionists, loan sharks, drug pushers and dealers "among the illegal community than among Maltese citizens"?
Unless you are living in Germany under Hitler, Spain under Franco or Zimbabwe under Mugabe, the obvious solution to someone asking a question or showing concern is to offer an explanation, not to lock them up in a cell. Or maybe you'd like Malta to be added to that list? Fantastic company, wouldn't you agree?
Chris: you are missing the point. It's the police who need to get a clear message that abuse will not be tolerated.
Louise Vella: ditto.
James Zammit Gauci, Jean Pierre Aquilina, Chris Borg: likewise.
"Speaking for myself, I would have arrested that maltese woman who interfered in the police duties. And put her in jail together with all those interfering busybodies. They did not know what happened and why he was beaten. he had attacked police officers in the line of their duties."
It seems you were not there but you presume to know what happened, yet you criticise someone for stepping in and asking questions on the grounds that she did not know what happened. What sort of tinpot logic leads you to believe that it is justifiable to arrest someone for asking questions? How on earth does that constitute interference?
We cannot afford to have foreigners doing what they want because the police are kept on a short leash.
Whether they are black,white,brown,yellow or pink with blue spots is irrelevant so i really do not believe racism has anything to do with what happened.
Jeremy: first you say that you and your friend couldn't be bothered to protest against abuse, and then you say that abuse should never be tolerated. Which one is it?
Louise: what are you suggesting - that we should allow the police to take out their frustations on people because, ja hasra, they have a hard time at work?
For example, Ms Filletti is quoted as saying: "As soon as I started asking questions, they asked for my identification and my details... I said: Why? I did nothing wrong. I want to know why you are arresting this man because what you are doing is wrong. At that point they arrested me,"
What exactly did she ask? What was her attitude at the time? These and other facts are missing.
One should not hastily judge such stories, especially when only part of the truth is being reported.
Nobody should touch the police, the embodiment of law and order, and expect to be treated softly. There should be no such messages in the streets, whoever he is, or nationality.
My support to both our forces.
That string of non-sequiturs misses an important point : the person who was beaten up in this story was not a policeman but his - or their - alleged aggressor.
Just what exactly is Mr.Galea implying? I am sure he must have done some research before uttering such a statement.
That Maltese citizens have never been treated in that way by the Police? He must be living in a fantasy world.
I myself, have witnessed certain police officers acting similarly with Maltese a number of times..Not too long ago, a friend of mine was strip searched by two plain clothes policemen for no reason at all! however, he decided not to file a complete because he feared that it would only cause him more trouble.
As of now, a magesterial investigation is under way regarding claims that a man was brutally beaten by the police not too long ago.
Every Police force in the world has people who abuse of their power!
To point out that this was a racist attack is just throwing the dust under the proverbial carpet.
Police abuse should not never be tolerated, regardless of race!
Police Commissioner, please note! This is NOT the relationship you want between the supposed guardians of society and the public they should be serving and protecting. The attitude of too many leaves much to be desired.
The police force is a sham and we should finally accept it...
The migrant beat up police officer, and that should be more then enough to start deporting such criminals.
UNHCR should be worried, by the incidents that often are caused by illegal immigrants against police officers and not only vice versa.