Call on authorities to break silence on racism

Michael Grech

Jul 25th 2009, 11:46

I cannot - they will be automatically detained (which policy, as you implicitly recognise, is a waste of money, apart from being futile, inhuman and stupid). Moreover, rights and human treatment do not depend on consent. E.G. if the majority of taxpayers do not want yor child to go to school they are also funding, you still have a right to send him/her.

m azzopardi

Jul 25th 2009, 08:53

michael--since you are such a do-goodder and a saint.. 44 illegal came in last night. Why don't you give them your address and open your front door to them???
Or you want the majority of taxpayers who don't want them to bear the brunt!!!!????

Michael Grech

Jul 24th 2009, 13:25

What the English example should teach us, considering Maltese immigrations and our brethren’s ‘activities’ in the 60’s, is that we cannot be the ones who throw stones. In addition, as a matter of fact England has always been a land of migration; the English themselves are immigrants; there were no ‘English’ when Julius Cesar invaded Britain – they were to come later.

As for Italy, I suggest you watch regional and national tv news bulletins. In regional bulletins you hear of countless crimes committed by Italians which for some reason do not make the grade to the national one; unlike crimes committed by foreigners, mainly Easter Europeans (with whom we have no problem over here, but apparently everyone has a different bogey-man). What should have struck you regarding Italy is that some of the most hideous crimes originally attributed by foreigners the Cogne murder, the killing of a woman and her child originally attributed to the Moroccan father, a case of rape which led to the infamous ronde, were committed by Italians. But apparently even Italians, who were targeted to similar intolerance and stereotyping when they emigrated abroad, did not learn that much!

Michael Grech

Jul 24th 2009, 13:23

M you don't welcome someone by locking him up and treating him like dirt (if you haven't been to a detention centre, reading what international agencies like Amnesty Interantional, Medcins Sans Frontier, the Counil of Europe, a delegation of MEPs and others will give you an idea - unless you dismiss these by claiming that there's some international conspiracy against our state) You might call that a preventive measure, you might call it whatever you like, but you cannot call it 'welcoming' .

As for you other comments, we did not welcome the Arabs; we were the Arabs (See Wettinger 'Malta and the Arabs'); As for the Knights and the British your comment is very enlightening, not because we 'welcomed' them; (they did not collect our rubbish or work in quarries they GOVERNED us ); adopted apartheid-like policies, but we still talk revertianlly about them, while using words like 'burdern' and 'invasion' to refer to people who come here to do our dirty work and whom the exploitation of our part of the world forced out of thier continent. Could it be because they are black and we are racist?

m azzopardi

Jul 23rd 2009, 14:17

michael... throughout times the Maltese were very welcoming. They welcomed everyone from the Arabs,to the Knights,the French and English. and also the illegal immigrants. Also throught times whenever the maltese saw that when they gave a finger others took the whole hand they rebelled.
At the beginning we all welcomed and helped all Africans that came here but then we all got fed up when they started coming in with boatlads of 200 at a time,lived on our taxes and rioted because they pretended we had to give them our country. I can't understand why there are people who still haven't learnt from the Italian and UK example regarding immigration!!!

michael Grech

Jul 22nd 2009, 20:36

@ m azzopradi
Yes, not letting in and sending them back makes us "accomplices to the torturers and deserving of moral reprobation" and, when it comes to human rights there are no first duties to Maltese and Gozitans; such duties are by definition towards fellow human beings, regardless of races, sex or creed; which does not mean an open-border policy, but treating them as human beings as long as they are on our island. In one thing I agree with you; we have a duty towards our culture; which is supposedly Christian and welcoming. Still, I thinking we are miserably failing in this regard.

Moreover, it is because we don’t know whether they are criminals or not, that we should treat them as if they were criminals (a fundamental tenet of civilised jurisprudence).

MIchael Grech

Jul 22nd 2009, 20:30

I'm not implying anything regarding the officer. I'm only saying that, for the time bieng (before definite sentences are meted) his testimony stands on the same ground as the evidence telling that Ismail Abubaker being punched and kickied.

Obviously the greatest victims are those who died Africa, those who cannot escape or those who died while attempting to cross over to Europe. Yet, one does not stop being a victim if there are other who have suffered more than him/herself.
Being Africa somewhat larger than Malta sentences like ‘If they are able to raise such money in Africa’ should be qualified. None of those who come here by boat, risking their life, could earn money comfortably in their country of origin, they wouldn’t be so stupid as to risk their life in the way they do (simple logic might tell you that they would get a plan, and conceal their whereabouts once they reach their destination). They do work in Libya, but I suggest you inform yourselves as to the conditions they work/live in Libya, to see why most of them would still be ready to risk their live to escape to Europe.

m azzopardi

Jul 22nd 2009, 17:00

michael... are you implying that the poor officer lied in court?!?! do you think he has any time to lose and go to court and lie about an immigrant?!?! Are we all going crazy or what?!?!

the real victims of Africa are still in Africa.Those who come here raise about LM1000 to make the journey. If they are able to raise such money in Africa, where with USD100 you feed a family of 5 for a month, why do they come here. In fact they all say that they work in Libya.
By not letting them in it doesn't makes us "accomplices to the torturers and deserving of moral reprobation". Our first duty is towards our country,cultrue and fellow Maltese & Gozitans.
No others country comes to solve Malta's problems, so I do not think why we should solve Africa's problems??!!Unfortunately there are a few people who want us to open our doors to them even though the majority of Maltese don't want them!!! No one of you do-godders open their house for them!!!
How do we know whether they aren't criminals escaping any justice in their countries?!?!

Michael Grech

Jul 22nd 2009, 06:50

@m azzopardi

"...these incidents took place purely because of rascism when there is no conclusive proof yet." Obviously; just as there is no conclusive evidence that the guy bit the police officer's finger (an officer's testimony does not amount to conclusive proof or the establishment of guilt or innocence).

I never said you mentioned imprisonment regarding immigrants; I only said that we should not take Dubai as the model of how to treat people. If before re-locating immigrants the Dubai authorities ascertain that these won't be imprisoned, beaten up and harassed, then I might approve your proposal . But I don't think that a government (the UAE government) that does not respect the rights of its citizens will bother about those of others.

Not infringing their rights , but handing them to others that are likely to do so is a callous attitude. It makes us accomplices to the torturers and deserving of moral reprobation.

The point is not being 'a charity to other countries' (as a matter of fact our part of the world is exploiting Africa). The point is treating humanely these victims of oppression.

m azzopardi

Jul 21st 2009, 15:53

michael grech... I was one of the first to condem and disagree with the violence used when the immigrant was beaten to death in Paceville and when the other immigrant was beaten in Hal Far. I disagree with you and NGOs when you say that these incidents took place purely because of rascism when there is no conclusive proof yet.
I never mentioned imprisionment in Dubai. All I said was that when foreigners lose their job they are DEPORTED back, i repeat DEPORTED. Just follow this link of the English Sunday times to see what I am talking about. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6716543.ece

My point to you is this.. No country can be a charity to other countries not even the richest country in the world let alone our tiny rock with no rescurces in the Mediterrean. How many billions were raised for Africa and it just went backwards becuase it is ruled by corrupts??!!

Michael Grech

Jul 20th 2009, 21:06

m azzopardi

1) Ismail Abubaker was PUNCHED AND KICKED TO DEATH. No one would have organised a protest if he had finger bitten (with all respect and sympathy to the police officer in question). I'm sure if immigrants were to punch and kick and police officer to death, locals would not stop at a mere protest.
2) The beaten immigrant did not say that he felt safer at Marsa. Neither however did he say that he felt threatened by fellow immigrants as you concluded. One hypothesis is as suppositious as the other. But given your presumably non-prejudiced frame of mind, you concluded that the latter is the case.
3) In Dubai people get imprisoned if they criticse government/ the royal family. I don't want Malta to take the emirates as its model on how to handle people's rights . As to Tanzania, if you want to know how refugees in this country are treated/illtreated read the 29 June Amnesty international report.

Robert Callus

Jul 19th 2009, 18:38

@Louise Vella
How could you be so insensitive. This person was beaten and left to die in the streets. He probably owed his life to the motorcylist passing by. And being afraid to go Hal Far after that is 'turning a problem into an opportunty'.

I work with old people and I've seen people who left their own home because they were robbed in it and are afraid to go back. Are they turning their demise 'into an opportunity?'

Why don't you get out of your computer trying to find anything possible against people of a different skin color and go out and meet human beings, be they white or black, young or old etc.

Sandro Pace

Jul 19th 2009, 17:40

Andre' Callus is of the opinion that the concern is irrational. According to Barrot, Verheugen, Maroni and local and european politicians whose logic do not fail them, his is not an educated opinion.

The fact that we are at the mercy of a bunch of north african traffickers, who can unleash thousands of african immigrants on this poor island unhindered and at their will, turning this island into a multicultural at best or half-african one at worse (both unrequired and against the will of the majority), is trying the Maltese psyche a good deal.

This coupled with the fact that a faction of the government wants to treat this solely as a humanitarian issue, instead of turning them back, libya wanting or not. These are all the ingredients of a rebellous attitude, as Verheugen said. (for those who can and will never accept this force demographic imposition).

That there was some respite and a pause, helped the situation a good deal, but it will improve or get worse according to the influx. This is an inevitable social fact.

Andre Callus is also against turning them back. So what is his solution?

m azzopardi

Jul 19th 2009, 16:41

michael grech....
1)all I said about the case of the immigrant biting the policemen's finger was that the NGOs had nothing to say about it and if it was the other way round they would have organised a protest. I never came into any conclusions about the case like they are doing about ither cases.
2) regarding the beaten immigrant at Hal Far, if he felt safer in Marsa becuase of the police station, he should have said it and not start blaming the Maltese when he had no proof at all.
3) They are kept in detention because they entered a country ILLEGALLY, which is a crime. In other countries like Dubai when an immigrant loses his job he gets deported so he won't be a burden on the taxpayers.
I condem violence. All I'm saying is that our country cannot take all the people coming in ILLEGALLY (200 at a time). If there's a war in Somalia , they should go to nearby Tanzania where there is no war.

c. camilleri

Jul 19th 2009, 16:20

Pls stop harbouring these people and if you really want to help them just accompany them to their country where they can do something useful. We should learn from other countries where these people were permitted to form ghettos to the detriment of the local population. These people never integrate and they will only bring African laws and traditions with them.
Buildings in areas housing illegal immigrants have already show a drop in the selling price as no one wants to rent or buy them. This is similar to what is happening in other European where landlords lost millions. We have our own problems and we cannot affords to care for the hundreds coming over. The best thing we could do to them is to help them return to their country. Making an easy life for them here will only make them more determined to stay here to the detriment to themselves and the locals..

louise vella

Jul 19th 2009, 15:09

"Nowadays, the Ħal Far area is seen as dangerous by immigrants... Mr Mohamed, who was attacked this month, has voiced his fears over returning to Ħal Far following the brutal attack on July 6."

These illegal immigrants may be young and coming from backward countries. But they sure know how to turn a problem into an opportunity! They are afraid to go to Hal Far which is dangerous! Maybe they prefer to go to the USA or Britain or Germany or Sweden ... Isn't that where they really want to go?

Antoine Cassar

Jul 19th 2009, 15:04

Louise Vella: "Racism was unheard of in Malta. Then boatloads started coming from Libya, week after week... "

Ms Vella, racism has been ingrained in the Maltese conscience for a lot longer. If you want some examples, read the poetry of Dun Karm.

Jeremy Brown

Jul 19th 2009, 14:06

Graffitti well done for raising this subject that everyone want to hide and dont want to admit about it.. I also beleive that this problem is caused by the bad mentality and unacceptance of people who are different, in this case colour of skin.
I travelled alot to europe and I see many black people that hold authority (ex. Police, customs officers, soldiers, etc), I want to imagine if this thing happens here, what a fuss will create.
"The price of your hat isn't the measure of your brain."
the rest is up to you....

W Spencer

Jul 19th 2009, 13:51

@ Joseph Balzan

My former UK home City had a massive influx of legal Eastern European immigrants. Those immigrants quickly set up their own shops, brothels, drug cartels, protection rackets, and various other dubious businesses. Crimes such as prostitution, drugdealing, theft, has increased dramatically.
The immigrants had no interest in learning about the British way of life, the laws, customs, traditions, etc, and most never tried to learn even the basics of the English language !
The indigenous people grew to dislike the immigrants because of their anti social, unlawful, and disrespectful behaviour. The same thing is happening in Malta, Italy, and a few other concerned Countries.
The term " racist " is always used by naive idealists, against people who speak out in defence of their Country, their customs, traditions, religion.

Michelle Dali

Jul 19th 2009, 12:53

I condemn violence of any sort by anyone. However, it must be noted that racism exists in every country in the world. It even exists is African countries between black people themselves.

For these NGOs to speak out about attacks against illegal African immigrants and say nothing when a Maltese person is either verbally or physically attacked by an African is showing they have double standards. Should Maltese people have less rights in their own country than Africans? Why did Graffitti say nothing when a Maltese policeman doing his job was attacked by a Somali who then bit his finger? By their reasoning, wasn't that too a racist attack? Is it only when a black person is injured that it becomes racist?

This brings to mind the recent murder in Britain of an English teenager who was killed in cold blood by three black men. Because the victim happened to be white there was no mention of racism. However, if it had been the other way round and the victim had been black there would have been an outcry and the murder would have undoubtedly been called racist.

michael grech

Jul 19th 2009, 12:38

@ m azzopardi how irresponsible of you to quote the case of 'an immigrant ...in court because he broke a policeman's finger' when the case is still pending!

'Prudence' should also have induced you not to daftly conclude that the beaten immigrant " ...was not feeling safe ....amongst his fellow countrymen!!! " Could it be that he feels safer at Marsa, since the center is nearer to a police station and hence he feels less at the mercy of local racists?

Moreover, without condoning the reaction, I do not think that the Maltese racists who threw urine bags at immigrants where being inhumanly detained by these immigrants merely for trespassing a border, after fleeing from war and hunger. This explains (without condoning) such reactions, as well as others elicited in another moronic comment, which the author should have had the honesty to specify that such reactions occur in any prison or detention instiution (regardless of the race or culture of those incarcerated).

The argument that we were not racsit when there were no black people around takes the biscuit; imagine someone saying I was no sexist before a met a woman . I'm sure Ms Vella wouldn't accept such logic

Joseph Balzan -ex-PAT

Jul 19th 2009, 11:16

Yes i do commend the authorities to break silence on racism here in Malta because really we are not a racist country and its only a few isolated incidents that we read in the papers, however my point is as a Retuned Migrant from Australia there is much more of a concern over there against racism even against us the Maltese Migrants so please there are two sides to every coin and we are at the other end of it all too as racisim exist if one open their eyes and ears and listen to most of our returned migrants with the same story, i conclude by adding that racism is mostly a British disease its a well known fact., just read your history of the colonies.

louise vella

Jul 19th 2009, 10:33

I quote from comments by Mr Noel Cutajar, a former police inspector who served in the detention centres, on this online newspaper yesterday:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090718/local/urine-bags-thrown-at-migrants-as-racism-grows-ngos

1. Half litre bottles were filled with hot water or urine and thrown at us during the serving of food or when gates were opened to take illegal immigrants to hospital.

2. Oranges were filed with blades taken from disposable shaving blades and used as weapons whenever the occasion arose to throw at us.

3. Toothbrushes were melted with lighters. They used to stick a blade onto them. The toothbrushes used to be turned into small knives enough to cut your neck or any part of the body.

4. Metal chairs used to be broken down. With patience they used to turn the ends of the chairs into pointed instruments.

5. Broomsticks were turned into weapons: they were cut into two pieces and the ends sharpened.

T Mifsud

Jul 19th 2009, 10:32

Unprovoked violence is condemnable. But on has to ask the question "Why has there been a rise of violence?"

The answer really is in the fear of invasion and fear of the metamorphosis of our values.

We do not want to dilute with a war torn civilization because the culture and values are very very very different, incompatible and unimaginably volatile that no matter when a solution is found, it is always in short term, and probably makes it worse to cover the lid increasing pressure for a eventual clash of civilizations. I mean Malta will be in civil war o day in the future if the immigration problem is not assertively addressed and eliminated. We will be in trouble if we succumb to short term solutions such as stemming racism with laws against the Maltese. The violence needs to be addressed at the psychological level not at the criminal end. If the latter is done, we will eventually be overrun with crime because of our limited resources. Addressing and eliminating illegal immigration once and for all (by detention and compulsory repatriation) we would be cutting the weed at its root before it takes over our garden!

louise vella

Jul 19th 2009, 10:32

"Nine NGOs"

We keep hearing about these NGOs. Sometimes they are nine. Then they expand to 18. Then they contract to 10. Of course it is very easy to form an NGO. It may be attractive, if an NGO can request money from the government and the EU. But how many persons are really active in these NGOs? Could they please publish a list with the names of their members? Can we be assured that some persons do not figure in more than one NGO? How are these NGOs administered? How are they financed? Is there transparency in their administration and finances? Are their leaders elected in open elections, or do they impose themselves?

But the most important question is this. Why do these NGOs never call for a referendum. That would be the most democratic way to know what the common people of Malta really think about these matters. Or are the NGOs afraid that a referendum would show that they have the support of perhaps 0.01 % of the people?

louise vella

Jul 19th 2009, 10:31

"Racism is on the increase".

Racism was unheard of in Malta. Then boatloads started coming from Libya, week after week, sometimes more than one a week, full of tens, then hundreds, then thousands of illegal immigrants. At first they were pitied. Then the people realised that there was no apparent end to the influx . That there were 2 million of them waiting on the Libyan coast. Small pockets of illegal immigrnts in some Maltese towns started expanding to form ghettos. A humanitarian issue soon turned into an intractable problem. With repercussions on our daily lives. On the government's finances. On employment, unemployment in Malta is now above 11000. On education, accommodation, Malta's very security.

There is a remedy to racism. That is to scale down the numbers of illegal immigrants through a pro-active policy of repatriation to their countries of origin or relocation to any other cuntries that need and want them. As the number of illegal immigrants goes down, so will the level of racism.

m azzopardi

Jul 19th 2009, 10:23

how can he say that the incident of the immigrant beaten at Hal Far was a rascist attack when there is no proof and the same immigrant was not feeling safe to go back to Hal Far amongst his fellow countrymen!!!
Why do they make such a fuss about bags of urine thrown at immigrants(which is wrong & I condem) & then they don't say anything when the same urine bags are thrown at our soldiers & police. Last week an immigrant was in court because he broke a policeman's finger and they didn't say anything. Can you imagine if it was the other way round ?? They would have organised a protest in Valletta!!
Also how irrisponsible in saying that the immigrant killed in Paceville was racially motivated when the court case is still pending. Prudence tells us to let the court case finish before we pass any comments!!!