Migrants protest over new open centre rules

A group of about 100 migrants at the Marsa open centre protested vociferously yesterday against stricter access controls the authorities wanted to introduce, directing their criticism at one of the centre's coordinators.

The peaceful but noisy protest started at about 1 p.m. when a minor argument between two migrants erupted into a spontaneous protest against the Ghanaian-Maltese pastor Ahmed Bugri, who is the coordinator of the open centre. The protest lasted for about three hours and the police were called in to provide additional security. There were no scuffles and no arrests were made.

A number of migrants asked for Mr Bugri's removal accusing him of running the centre in a dictatorial manner.

Mr Bugri later denied all accusations levelled at him.

"We need change, Ahmed out," the migrants shouted outside the office where Mr Bugri was holed in with police officers, who were investigating what happened.

The migrants insisted that the control measures went against the concept of an open centre. A Somali interpreter who spoke to The Times said migrants were partially correct in what they were saying but they could not understand that Mr Bugri was employed by the government and could not just be removed.

At about 4 p.m., Mr Bugri emerged from his office accompanied by the police, boarded his car and drove off safely as the crowd clapped and cheered.

At one point, the Marsa open centre's general manager, Oliver Gatt sat down with the protesting migrants and assured them that any allegation or accusation of wrongdoing would be investigated.

"A man is innocent until proven guilty and we will look into the claims," he said.

Contacted after the incident, Mr Bugri said he left because his day's work was over and that he would be returning to work at the centre this morning.

Denying the accusations lev-elled against him, Mr Bugri insisted that the Marsa open centre had become a "free for all" and he wanted to introduce order and discipline.

"I had to establish who was a resident there and who wasn't. I also had to regularise the businesses that were being set up," he said.

Most of those protesting were not even residents of the open centre, he claimed.

Mr Bugri explained that the management planned to build a gate in order to control access to the centre because many migrants, who lived in other centres or on their own ended up at Marsa.

Marsa is a centrally-located centre and conditions there are relatively better than in other open centres.

"The centre was being managed by them not by us. This was not right and the gate issue was the straw that broke the camel's back," Mr Bugri said.

"I know that many migrants housed in the Ħal Far tent city have come to take up residence in Marsa because of the heat. I understand them but I do not have a say on who stays at which centre and it would be unfair on the residents at the Marsa open centre to allow the place to be used by others as well," Mr Bugri said.

He insisted that the problem started simmering around three weeks ago because the majority of new migrants sent to Marsa after being released from detention were from west Africa.

"I come from Ghana and the Somalis started spreading the rumour that I only wanted people from west Africa at Marsa. This is not true because I don't determine who comes here," Mr Bugri said.

He denied accusations made by various migrants that he was charging migrants money for the use of their bed at Marsa.

"This is not true. I have absolutely nothing to do with the management of beds or who sleeps where," Mr Bugri replied.

He also denied the existence of a curfew, insisting that migrants could enter and leave the centre at will as long as they were resident there.

"I will go to work as usual tomorrow (today) because I am not scared. They would not attack me. They are frustrated with the system and I am getting the flak because they see me as representing government policy on migration.

"They have a grievance, I understand them but it is not something I can do anything about," Mr Bugri said, insisting migrants also had a right to air their concerns.

The director of the Organ-isation for Integration and Welfare of Aslyum Seekers, Alex Tortell insisted that although Marsa was an open centre, it was open to residents, the staff and visitors in possession of the relevant permits.

"The gate was meant to serve as additional security for the residents themselves.

"The centre is a home to hundreds of migrants and every home deserves to have a front gate," Mr Tortell said.

He insisted there was no intention of introducing a curfew.

When confronted with the claims that migrants from Ħal Far tent city were making their way to Marsa because of the unbearable heat, Mr Tortell insisted that his organisation had already replaced a number of tents with four mobile homes. "We are aware of the problem and we will continue replacing the tents when we get more mobile homes. However, it must be noted that not everybody can live at Marsa open centre," he said.

The Marsa open centre is run by Fondazzjoni Suret il-Bniedem on behalf of the Organisation for Integration and Welfare of Aslyum Seekers.

Mr Tortell said he would be having talks with the centre's management when things calmed down in order to determine what the grievances were and whether they were legitimate.