Just four people were charged in court for racist crimes in the last 10 years, a figure described as "shocking" by Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil.

Two people were arraigned in 2006, and another two were charged in 2008 and 2009, according to figures released in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici.

The figures pale in comparison to claims made by NGOs and humanitarian organisations over what they describe as the worrying xenophobic and racist trends in Malta.

The most recent Eurobarometer surveys show 77 per cent of Maltese respondents perceive discrimination based on ethnic origin to be widespread, while five per cent of those interviewed in Malta the previous year said they had personally experienced racial discrimination.

Asked whether the figures or race-related crimes were low because racism was not an issue in Malta or whether it was due to a lack of enforcement, Dr Mifsud Bonnici replied: "The authorities have taken the necessary steps whenever reports related to racist crimes were made. The robust law that came into effect last year laid down clear definitions for such crimes, introduced new ones, and raised the penalties."

Yet, nobody has been charged with racist crimes since the regulations came into force last July, and according to the ministry, this is because the new law was acting as a deterrent.

But Dr Busuttil expressed shock at the low figures, saying he was concerned about the rising tide of xenophobia and racism.

"One only needs to visit timesofmalta.com for regular contributions which are overtly xenophobic and others which verge dangerously on racism... I regularly receive hate mail in relation to my work on immigration. In the beginning, I found them quite traumatic but I have learned to live with them," Dr Busuttil said.

He was not the only one targeted, as international human rights organisations have regularly documented the rise of racism in Malta.

Amnesty International last year expressed concern about a pattern of arson attacks in 2005 and 2006 that occurred against those who had spoken out against racism, demanding the authorities bring those responsible to justice.

It is still not possible to confirm the arson attacks as racist crimes because the perpetrators were never brought to justice. The Sunday Times last week asked the police to provide an update on investigations, but no replies were given.

When contacted, the National Council for the Promotion of Equality said it received a number of requests for assistance and complaints for investigation referring to allegations of racial discrimination.

The council said although the number of prosecutions indicated in Parliament did not seem to reflect the state of affairs, the council was often faced with alleged victims who did not wish to make their case public.

For this reason, the council said it would be carrying out an EU co-funded project this year to study the reasons related to underreporting of discriminatory cases.

"The enforcement of the illegality of racism has to be a relentless and comprehensive commitment by all stakeholders who have a role in combating racial discrimination and racial hatred, hence safeguarding equal treatment to everyone, irrespective of their race," council manager Therese Spiteri said.

But the council also emphasised education as essential to increasing tolerance.

This was also stressed by the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Malta Jon Hoisaeter who said "often, intolerance stems from a lack of information or wrong assumptions" and that interaction between communities was essential to address this.

Mr Hoisaeter said he was not surprised at the low figures, because "it takes a lot before someone is criminally charged for making statements". While underlining that the UNHCR understood the pressures Malta faced, the agency pointed out that immigration was a relatively new experience for the country.

"The public debate on online fora is very discouraging in terms of the language used, which tends to be rather aggressive towards immigrants.

"But I have seen these kinds of statements in other countries that have had to come to terms with this reality. It takes time," Mr Hoisaeter said.

"What is seen as an extreme situation gradually becomes something that is manageable, and ultimately can be recognised as enriching," he added.

But it was not all bad news, he insisted, as there were other, less visible voices promoting tolerance.

"People come to UNHCR asking how they can play a part. That is encouraging."

cmuscat@timesofmalta.com