Protect the lives that you saved, Africans pleaded yesterday in a peaceful demonstration calling on the authorities to ensure respect for their basic human rights.
In a rare event, some 200 people from several African countries came together for the protest that started in Floriana and ended in front of Europe House in Valletta.
The group, mostly men, walked behind a large banner calling for long-term residency, which would grant them better access to basic necessities such as education and healthcare.
“The rights of every person are diminished when the rights of one person are threatened,” the banner read.
Chanting “Stop racism,” “Change the system” and “Blacks and whites are equal,” some waved Maltese flags and others carried posters with various messages.
One poster read: “I want to thank the Maltese authorities for saving my life.” Others had messages against racism: “Black lives matter” and “Stop racism, it’s the enemy of freedom.”
The well-organised demonstration started in front of the Phoenicia Hotel and the group walked to the new Parliament, the Office of the Prime Minister, St George’s Square and Europe House, stopping at each building.
There, different speakers ex-pressed gratitude for the support migrants found in Malta, but they also voiced common concerns.
The issues the migrants raised were the need to be granted long-term residency to help them integrate and feel a part of Maltese society, better access to healthcare and education and the right to social security benefits, since they pay taxes.
One of the spokesmen, Bushrah Fouad of Sudan, said the worst affected are those with temporary humanitarian protection and those who have been rejected for asylum. Most have been here for years, even up to 20 years.
“If we’re still here in 20 years, who will we be? How will we live if we are not entitled to a pension and we cannot work anymore? What about the most vulnerable of us – children, women, the elderly and disabled?” Mr Fouad, from the Migrants Association in Malta, asked, standing in front of the President’s Palace.
We respect Maltese just as we respect our parents
Mr Fouad thanked the police officers present for their service during the demonstration. He said that most of those present consider Malta their home and have adopted a Maltese way of life. They work here and have Maltese friends and Maltese partners.
And yet, they do not feel integrated, as they lack the basic rights that would make them feel truly part of Maltese society.
“We will always be grateful to the Maltese,” he said to loud clapping. “We respect Maltese just as we respect our parents. What we ask is that you protect the lives that you saved so that we can become part of society.”
It is unjust to be asked to integrate and yet be given temporary humanitarian protection, he said. The situation drives some into depression and others take their own lives.
Omar Mohammed, a man who knows Mr Fouad’s pain, spoke in front of Parliament.
Africans are “burning from the inside” after years of fighting for their basic human rights, he said.
“Many Maltese believe that the State gives us everything. However, some of us don’t have access to healthcare, and despite having the duty to pay taxes, have no rights to social benefits.
“We have to carry whatever money we have in our pockets, as we cannot open a bank account, and our children born here have no future,” said Mr Mohammed, 31, from Ghana.
The father of two noted that migrants pay to have their identification documents renewed every year, however the process takes some seven months, putting them in limbo in the meantime.
Somali Ahmed Nuur Ibrahim, from African Media Association Malta, called on the government to take action, saying: “Please, we need a life as human beings.”