As most EU member states have been hit by the financial downturn, many politicians have resorted to stirring up sentiment against migrants and ethnic minorities as well as against the EU, according to a recent report on racism.
In Malta, the public reaction to the arrival of migrants has become increasingly negative, “with xenophobic discourse all too often taking the mainstream stage”.
Titled Racism and related discriminatory practices in employment in Malta, the report was drawn up by The People for Change Foundation and presented to the European Network against Racism (ENAR).
ENAR used the Malta report as well as those of other European countries to compile its 2012-2013 shadow report titled ‘Racism and discrimination in employment in Europe’.
In light of lacking innovative solutions to move Europe out of the crisis, ENAR notes, many politicians have resorted to stirring up sentiment against migrants and ethnic minorities as well as against the EU.
“The public perception of ethnic and religious minorities in most countries remains largely negative: they are often accused of taking job opportunities from the native labour force, of abusing the welfare system and of increased crime rates.
“They are used as scapegoats for everything that goes wrong in society and their return has been called for as a solution to high unemployment rates.”
Besides this security-based discourse, a superiority-based approach is also very much present, which considers migrants as labour force entities, filling jobs that the bulk of EU citizens do not want to carry out.
Migrants are also commonly said to be “welfare shopping” in many EU member states.
In the UK, there were frequent references to “tidal floods of new immigrants” from Romania and Bulgaria.
The Malta report notes how rhetoric about migrants taking the jobs of the Maltese (often as a way of fostering anti-migration sentiment) remains widespread.
Moreover, discrimination in this context often varies depending on the nationality of the specific migrant.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that a good number of eastern European nationals have successfully found jobs in the restaurant industry, while the same cannot be said for migrants from Africa.
The Malta report also notes how Maltese employers’ attitudes often reflect the public’s aversion to migrants.
“Employers, sensing this aversion to irregular migrants, did not want to attract any eventual bad publicity and would refrain from employing irregular migrants, especially when the jobs involved direct contact with clients (such as working as a waiter)”.
This, the Malta report continues, partly explains why people who have been through the asylum system often find themselves working in jobs which have been described as “the three Ds” – dirty, dangerous and degrading.
This category of migrants is often limited (by means of discrimination in various guises) to working in jobs that “the Maltese don’t want to do”. This often includes working in industries such as construction, waste removal and cleaning.
Anecdotal evidence also indicates, however, that rather than the Maltese not wishing to undertake certain jobs, the working class poor might be unwilling to equate themselves with migrants and accept low-skilled jobs which may on occasion be offered to them at the same exploitative wage put forward to migrants.
This serves to fuel their annoyance at migrants, rather than at their potential employer in the informal economy.
The Malta report calls upon the authorities to develop initiatives to measure equality as part of the positive duty to combat racial discrimination and to promote equality and social inclusion of ethnic and religious minorities.
The authorities should also extend and improve efforts to raise awareness amongst ethnic and religious minorities of the rights and remedies available under national law and the role of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality in supporting victims of discrimination.
Helena Dalli’s reaction
“I agree that politicians should take care not to fan xenophobic discourse,” said Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli. “As politicians, what we say is broadcast to a wider audience. So by what we say, we must set an example to sweep along other people in the way they view society. We give out a signal.
“During the last public consultation meeting, a father of a gay person thanked the government for raising this discussion to the national agenda. He said that the public could now understand that gay people have rights like others, have their own potential and are part of our society. ‘You helped make the lives of our children that bit better,’ he told us.
“I am very worried by the ENAR report. We must understand this reality. We need to look at the potential of each individual. There are laws which we must abide by and controls which should be respected, but each person has his or her dignity and rights.”