Video: Barrot meets migrants in detention

Clive Gerada

Mar 14th 2009, 20:16

Next time put Barrot with them for a week.

COLIN BONNICI

Mar 14th 2009, 19:52

@Igalea what's the point?

Adrian Borg

Mar 14th 2009, 19:18

If my memory serves me right, it was Malta who joined the EU and neither Somalia, nor Erithrea or any other African country.

So I don't see why he should talk or offer protection to anyone but the Maltese!

Alfred Farrugia

Mar 14th 2009, 17:10

Mr. Barrot should be asked whether he agrees with the January 2001, UNHCR Geneva assessment that the Dublin Convention is “wholly Inappropriate” for Malta, and what the EU is going to do about it.

“(v) Entry into the territory

UNHCR considers it wholly inappropriate to derive any responsibility for considering an asylum application from the fact that the applicant has been merely present in the territory of a Member State. Mere presence in a territory is often the result of fortuitous circumstances, and does not necessarily imply the existence of any meaningful link or connection. This holds true irrespective of whether the entry of the person in the territory of a State was regular or not. Even a person who was regularly admitted to the territory of a State cannot be assumed to have established a meaningful link with that State if he/she has only remained there for a short period of time.

In addition, this criterion places at a disadvantage countries bordering areas affected by refugee flows, and thus goes against the principles of responsibility sharing and solidarity which are at the basis of the Union’s endeavours in the field of asylum.”

http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/43662b3e2.pdf

louise vella

Mar 14th 2009, 17:07

During his visit Barrot failed to speak to the most important people. The common people of Malta, the men and women in the street, Mr and Mrs Average. The great majority of the people would have told him that they are against their country being used by illegal immigrants either to stay or as a bridge to the EU. They would have told him that we are angry at the government we elected because it is proving much too soft. Soft with the illegal immigrants. Soft with the NGOs. And soft with the EU.

Anthony Magri

Mar 14th 2009, 16:01

Monsieur Barrot, la solution du problème est très simple :rapatriement
Tous les Maltais seront prêt à donner un coup de main pour que ce rapatriement se fasse « tambour battant » Les fortifications de La Vallette ou les alentours de l’aéroport seront pleins de gens à donner l’adieu.
Les immigrants gagneront leur liberté et les Maltais seront délivrés de leurs tracas

TRANSLATION: Mister Barrot, the solution is very simple: repatriation.
All the Maltese will be ready to give a helping hand so that this is done briskly at the sound of drums. The Valletta fortifications and the whereabouts of the airport will be full of people to bid farewell.
The immigrants will earn there freedom and the Maltese the end of their worries

Ivan Attard

Mar 14th 2009, 15:52

It is highly insulting of this Jacques Barrot to want to meet and speak with ILLEGAL immigrants alone. HOW ABOUT SPEAKING TO ALL THE MALTESE PEOPLE PUBLICLY to get their version of what amounts to the wholesale surrender of our sovereignty and way of peaceful life?
If Barrot may feel pity for these unwanted people, why not arrange to airlift them to the European mainland for a much more cosseted way of life. Now that would kill two birds with one stone and make everybody happy - except the European receiptants.
Now can you just leave Barrot?

S. Calleja

Mar 14th 2009, 15:37

"we, the Maltese, who are being held hostage, both by the illegal immigrants as well as by the other EU member states" - wally vella-zarb

Hostage?

"People in the African continent have NO right to reside in the EU therefore they must come under scrutinised immigration rules." - Kenneth Galea

Why so hostile? We would have been in exactly the same position if Malta had opted out of the EU (49% of people, in fact, had voted against EU membership).

"How come the illegal immigrats were prepared to protest during Barrot's visit?
This shows that the NGOs had informed them so that they can prepare their banners and protest." - Igalea

So, according to you, we should have surprised them, so we would catch them banqueting and in perfect health, and not pretending to be sick and deprived.

Moses Mula

Mar 14th 2009, 15:26

Some people break world records in ignorance with their comments like Maltese being held hostage by E.U. member states and illegal immigrants and that Barrot should meet the Maltese alone. When he meets the Maltese authorities alone and there is no Immigrant presence. I am honestly getting tired of " Malta is so small " comments. It is like when we participate in team sport competitions, when we do well we say we did great for beung a small country, when we lose, we are too small to compete with bigger countries. So I am not buying it anymore that these immigrants are in this state because Malta is too small. The goverment was caught unprepared, and I do not care if it was PN or MLP, and as usual it waited too long to deal with the situation. Now because the goverment did not organize itself properly it is using this rhetoric of we being small with the E.U. And calling these immigrants "illegal" does not make sense. Sadly even the authorities and the media fell into this trap. How can you enter illegaly when they come on these boats and make sure to be intercepted?

e.cortis

Mar 14th 2009, 15:12

Let me repeat what I have been stressing since time immemorial: give them all the help they need, supply them with all their needs, put them on the same boats they arrive on, escort them to the median line between Malta and Italy and let them proceed to their desired destination. Stop quoting international obligations. These can be sidelined . Make the EU realize that if they are not going to start treating us seriously and start practicing the solidarity they harp about, we will use the VETO when the occasion arises. If that does not work, because the government seems to be afraid to even mention it,,let us remind them that according to the Lisbon Treaty, (and even the present treaty), there is article 44 of Chapter one which gives us another option.............!!! If this is what they want us to do, let's show them that we are prepared to go it all the way. EU solidarity, my foot. Go and tell it to the marines.

lgalea

Mar 14th 2009, 14:50

How come the illegal immigrats were prepared to protest during Barrot's visit?
This shows that the NGOs had informed them so that they can prepare their banners and protest.

Kenneth Galea

Mar 14th 2009, 14:35

Malta has its international obligations only towards those who genuinely qualify for asylum. The rest who are economic migrants should be locked up until they are deported. The illegal immigrants are coming in their thousands therefore space becomes scarcer and scarcer. Of course the conditions at the detention centres become cramped and unbearable. There is NO space left and the GonziPN administration is to blame for its soft touch and dictatorship from the EU. What do the NGO's expect from us??? Put them up in five star hotels and expel the tourists?? We are simply not sending out clear signals. People in the African continent have NO right to reside in the EU therefore they must come under scrutinised immigration rules. Searching for a better life does NOT mean you have a right to reside wherever you end up. The people from Eastern Europe (majority of them) are part of the EU therefore have a right to stay and move freely within in the EU. Africans do NOT belong to the EU, therefore they are not free to move within the EU. These are the rules!

F Borg

Mar 14th 2009, 14:17

Maybe Barrot should speak to Maltese citizens alone too.

Or maybe not.

They are just legal citizens of a poor second-tier EU country and as such, they should be discriminated against according to the EU's subtle yet clear unwritten policy, and not allowed to voice their views.

wally vella-zarb

Mar 14th 2009, 14:09

@ Joseph Cauchi. No, it is not humiliating for Malta. We have nothing to hide. By going in alone M Barrot would not be influenced for or against our position. He could see for himself that it is we, the Maltese, who are being held hostage, both by the illegal immigrants as well as by the other EU member states whose solidarity with us has been conspicuous by its absence.

John Borg (mlh)

Mar 14th 2009, 12:19

Mr Barrot, pls arrange so that a few thousand (not tens as others have done) of these unfortunate people are taken to your home country for instance. And of course, don't keep them in detention, so as not to be branded inhospitable, as we are being done right now. Lead the way and show us what we are doing wrong. We are sick and tired of being patronised by so many NGO's now, but unfortunately (and fortunately I suppose) these NGO's don't call the shots. People like you do. We are fed up of being criticized for something which we have no control over.

Joseph Cauchi

Mar 14th 2009, 11:35

Isn’t this humiliating for Malta that Mr Barrot wanted to speak to the migrants on his own?