Immigration is back in the news, not because a boat load has fetched up on our shores, it’s winter, so the xenophobes and racists have had to find another excuse to shame this so-called Catholic country by their comments.

This time it was in reaction to a report about the fact that some Sudanese were protesting about the length of time it takes to process their status issues. A few examples, lifted verbatim from timesofmalta.com, will demonstrate what I mean.

Without a trace of irony or self-awareness, C. Mangion wrote:

“are these people serious????? din tustaġni pura! I am a 100 per cent pro equality, but this behaviour is definitely unacceptable! If they had to behave this way in their country they would be thrown into a prison cell before they can utter the word ‘immigrant’.

“After all, we have gone through cultural changes in our country to make an effort not to be racist, and, moreover, to offer them the best healthcare (Putting our health at risk in the process, having to face the risk of infectious diseases), but this is just crossing the line!!!!” Look at what D Cardona had to say: “These people should be sent back and pay the punishment for the crime they did. As far as I know, it’s illegal to escape from your country.”

As if to emphasise our national shame, a certain S. Bianco wrote:

“I’m Italian and I live in Malta and I pay taxes. I am more than happy that my contributions will help people in such terrible conditions that have to migrate to an island where xenophobia is still like in America in the 1920s. The thing that amazes me is that many Maltese emigrated in the past, to seek better life conditions. Would you like to hear ‘go back in your country’? Would you be happy to know that your relatives abroad are treated in this way? Of course not, but until the problem does not affect us, why to be comprehensive? No comment.”

But, to our greater shame, Giov. De Martino replied to him, with a degree of arrogance that is astounding:

“Excuse me Mr Bianco, but you do not know what you are talking about! The Maltese who settled abroad did so legally and very often they were an asset to the receiving country. So much so that there was a time when Australia was very eager to have Maltese immigrants. Mr Bianco should know how his mother country has been brought on its knees because of the thousands of illegal migrants in Italy. And he also knows how his Premier, Sig. Berlusconi decides to turn them back. You are most welcome here, Mr Bianco, but please do not interfere with our policies.”

These were only virtually random excerpts from the comments section and they hardly need any further comment from me, to be honest. These are people who classify themselves as civilised members of our society, a society supposedly governed by the rule of law and the tenets of tolerance and humanity.

I shudder to think what these people, with the very honourable exception of Mr Bianco, would have done had they been running an inn in Bethlehem a couple of millennia ago and some woman just about to give birth turned up at their door without a reservation. Sent her on her way with a flea in her ear, I suppose.

Not that I’m particularly enamoured of Amnesty International’s take on the whole thing, of course. They were equally arrogant and, frankly, almost racist themselves in their assessment of the way Malta is handling what is a difficult situation. It’s all well and good for northern Europeans to sit back and pontificate on what should and should not be done by us miserable southerners, when their own countries are really so backward in coming forward to help. Racism is alive and well in countries other than our own and it would have been appropriate if AI had recognised this.

Changing the subject, were you as moved as I was by the piece about Major Peter Ripard? Quite apart from the fact that it was very well written (I don’t mean that to sound as patronising as it reads), the essence of the man was captured to show us what it means to be an upright and – there’s no other word for it – tough gentleman of the old school. What a contrast with the way some people carry on.

Given that Christmas is on Saturday this year (it is, isn’t it?) this is the last edition of the column before the centre-piece of the Season to be Jolly and Peace to all Men and all that, characterised as it is in this oh-so-Christian country by over-eating and rampant consumerism, so please accept my greetings for the season.

I won’t be sending any cards, ostensibly to save the rainforest or whatever, but actually because I’m too lazy.

imbocca@gmail.com

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