No one should be made to feel less welcome in a society that embraces fundamental European values such as the rule of law and respect for human rights, the Attorney General insisted this morning.

AG Peter Grech.

Peter Grech was speaking at an EU Presidency conference on how to support civil society “in delivering effective positive narratives against online hate speech”.

Referring to the rise in racist and xenophobic sentiment across the European continent, he said this was also present in Malta. The arrival of an unprecedented number of migrants in the previous decade, he said, was met by increased xenophobia, fueled mainly by lack of information, negative speech and sometimes alarmist reporting in the media.

Cultural discrimination and racial bias have become a reality, reflected also in the emergence of a number of vociferous anti-immigration groups, he said.

In his address, the AG referred to a Eurobarometer study which showed that 46 per cent of the Maltese (20 per cent more than the European average) believed that immigration was the most pressing issue in Malta.

Dr Grech listed a series of recent incidents of concern which he said reflected a trend of racial intolerance in Malta by a small but vocal section.

Among others was a campaign video uploaded by a far-right party during the last MEP election, claiming that immigration had led to devaluation of property, increased criminality, increase in taxes and spread of infectious disease.

Just last year, pork sausages were provokingly distributed during a protest against Muslims praying in public, while in December a protest was called against the construction of a Mosque, he noted.

Such incidents spilled over onto social media, he noted, later adding that no one should be made to feel unsafe in public, let alone in cyberspace.

Malta has, and will continue to support the fight against all hate crime, Dr Grech said, referring to a recent court case where two people were fined €3,000 each for inciting hatred on a public Facebook page underneath the photo of a man recovering in hospital.

Although prosecuting such behaviour was a positive development, we also needed to be proactive and prevent this speech in the first space, he said.

“Extremist views would need to be countered by messages that offer a positive alternative, which challenges extremist ideologies and deconstructs racist and xenophobic narratives.”

Speaking at the same conference, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said that in order to achieve great results, it was essential to enact laws, however, these were not enough.

“We can make use of another more important and powerful tool to combat hate speech: education. It is crucial to teach children about respect and tolerance… teach them that it is good to argue passionately, criticise and come forward with proposals, but we must also respect each another,” he added.