Thursday, 11th June 2009
Migrant dies after Paceville incident
Victim was also 'beaten' last year
Suleiman Abubaker who died on Tuesday.
A 28-year-old Sudanese migrant who died on Tuesday after being punched by a bouncer in Paceville is the same man who eyewitnesses had said they had seen being beaten in Paceville almost a year ago.
Suleiman Ismail Abubaker, who was a migrant with humanitarian protection, went to Paceville on Friday night two weeks ago and was refused entry into a bar because he was drunk. His two French friends were allowed in.
One of the French students accompanying him said in court that the bouncer punched Mr Abubaker, who fell to the ground and hit his head against the pavement. He remained there for a few minutes until he stumbled up and hung on to a signpost, only to be kicked by an unknown person.
He suffered a fractured skull and was taken to hospital in critical condition, according to police sources.
A bouncer, Duncan Deguara, was accused of seriously injuring him but the police sources said new charges are now expected to be pressed against him after Mr Abubaker succumbed to his injuries.
Sources said Mr Abubaker was on his way to being resettled in the US.
The incident echoes another which Mr Abubaker was involved in last June. On the night, he and another immigrant were allegedly beaten by police officers in separate incidents.
Four officers were suspended, and one of them arraigned but the case eventually fell through for lack of evidence.
The court said that after taking into consideration the conflicting evidence of the police officers involved and that of the witnesses it could not find the police officer guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
On that night, Mr Abubaker was also refused entry into a Paceville club.
In an interview with The Times, Mr Abubaker had said the police had intervened after an argument he had with a Libyan man who made fun of him for expecting to be allowed in, seeing he was black. "How can you expect them to let you in when they don't let me in," the man had told him.
The Libyan ran away when the police arrived but Mr Abubaker was pounced on by the police and thrown into their van.
Mr Abubaker later pleaded guilty to assaulting officers and damaging a police van and was handed down a 10-month jail term suspended for two years and fined €300.
Mr Abubaker later explained that he did not know what was happening in court and he did not realise he had filed a guilty plea. "No, no I never said I beat policemen. I never did that."
His legal aid lawyer had not commented on this claim.
When interviewed about the incident, Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici had told The Sunday Times that "maybe the judicial system didn't work the way we want it to work".
In court, Mr Abubaker had not said anything about being beaten by the police. When asked why he said: "I just want peace. I don't want trouble... I want this thing to be closed".
Last year, he was convinced that the incident was racially-motivated, even though he refused to generalise and say the Maltese were racists. "I have been here since 2005 and I have never caused trouble. I never look for trouble... I have a lot of Maltese friends who are nice to me but then there are other people who hate me because of my skin. But I just say: Thank you, my friend, and leave. This is their country, how can I fight with them?" During the interview Mr Abubaker had sworn never to go to Paceville again.
When contacted, Mgr Philip Calleja was shocked by the news and was not in a position to comment. All he said was that despite having been involved in two serious incidents in less than a year, Mr Abubaker was not aggressive. "No... Not at all," he said, recalling that he had visited him in hospital the same day he died.
Meanwhile, Moviment Graffitti said this was not an isolated incident and that immediate action needed to be taken to tackle the rampant racism in Paceville.
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Comments
I've seen bouncers from different clubs team up against a poor skinny guy who wasn't doing anything wrong as far as I could tell, maybe he said something but he weighted like 60 kilos, there was absolutely no need to hit him.
The police was nearby, they took the poor soul away from the onlookers and then came back to have a blast with the bouncers.
Bouncers and policemen obviously know each other, and if it weren't for the uniforms I wouldn't have been able to tell them appart.
So long, Malta, I hope you will solve your violence problems but I won't be coming back to check on you.
I disagree with your comment "Why should this incident reflect badly on tourism in Malta? Do you honestly think unfortunate incidents like this don't happen in any other tourist destination, or any other country in the world, for that matter?'
Violence reflects badly wherever it happens, just because it is happening in different places does not make it acceptable in any way - get this thinking out of your mind.
We need to stop unwarranted cowardly acts of violence wherever they happen (bouncers are not above the law. nor do they have 'special powers' above those of an ordinary person). Crime and murder happen all over the world, and we must not accept them as 'normal' or we will finish up like Somalia where the gun rules, and people live in fear.
Also there is CCTV in paceville now. can we finally put it to good use and not just use it to give parking tickets.
do some immigrants use their skin color as an excuse that they are harassed ? people who visit PV surely seen the arrogance of SOME of these migrants groups and their approach to european ladies. in their culture they are the male dominant! do they expect to be the same every where? plse also note that some migrants are racist between them selves! could these be the causes of refusal of entry to pv clubs? have these people accepted our culture? or they expect us to accept theirs?
if a maltese drunk, or an unknown maltese sober guy or lady asks/demands entry to your property! would you let them in?
Honestly i consider this a very tragic incident which could have been avoided by simply leaving!
But I STRONGLY condemn unnecessary physical aggravation against anyone!
Me and you.
Who is to cry?
Me and you.
Who is to be ashamed?
All of us.
The sign of Christ
Has been upon us
For thousands of years
And yet is has failed
To make us decent.
At least.
Our institutions
Failed this man.
They have sent him
To his grave.
He ran from terror
Only to find
A worse oppression
And death
Amongst us.
But our feasts go on.
Our processions go on.
Our hollow religion goes on.
What is just one man
Compared to a nation content?
Oh, I cry!
Oh, I am so ashamed.
'We need to get rid of the thugs in Malta!'
Yes, we do. We also need to get rid of the thugs in the UK, and the rest of the world as well. Let's keep things in perspective. Why should this incident reflect badly on tourism in Malta? Do you honestly think unfortunate incidents like this don't happen in any other tourist destination, or any other country in the world, for that matter?
So let’s not jump into conclusions and although the unfortunate victim happened to be African, this does not necessarily mean that the victim’s race had anything to do with how the bouncer behaved.
This poor soul surely didn't deserve to die and the bouncer should be locked up for a very long time if he is guilty ... but if Mr.Abubaker was still alive he should ask himself some questions.
I was never refused entry to any bar in Paceville, maybe because I am not black but maybe ... just maybe because neither am I a troublemaker!!
Have you ever realised that your rhetoric is what makes rasicm exist in the first place?
As to your advice,
I'm terrified that we'll soon have squads of terrorist armies from many countries roaming the islands blowing up bars......
We'll also have terrorist anti hunting squads spiking our drinks etc etc...rather fanciful don't you think?
PERHAPS THE MORAL IS, DON'T GET DRUNK AND EXPECT TO BE ALLOWED INTO CLUBS!
I'VE YET TO MEET A "DRUNK" WHO CAN BE REASONED WITH!
Why spend millions advertising Malta as a safe holiday destination, when spending a few thousand and re-training the police to act against these 'bully boy bouncers' can stop this appalling rough stuff once and for all time.
All bouncers with a criminal record must find another job - the police must verify each one is crime free and of good character, and sign a statement which becomes a public record document. Then they all need to be licensed, and only then issued an ID which they must display at all times.
We need to get rid of the thugs in Malta!
Let us pray for the repose of our brother Suleiman.
It is shameful. This is the second death that I know of attributed to these so called security personnel.
I have witnessed countless beatings, and when the police WALK up, they usually tend to move the victim off, or even back the bouncers.
One mistake that we could make is to focus on the fact that this is a race related crime.
Whilst acknowledging that some bouncers might be ra cist, it is important to point out that these people regularly beat on people of all nationalities, including Maltese. Ask any youth who frequents the Paceville area, and they will confirm.
A bouncer I knew once told me, that they were always spoiling for a fight.' What do you expect?' he told me, everyone enjoying himself and we're working nights!
All those involved, bouncers and owners, should be educated about the danger of mistreating coloured people without any justification.