Let’s change the subject and take a look at this comment
This comment came in this evening beneath a post I wrote almost five years ago, on the subject of racism in Malta. Had I left it there, nobody would have seen it, so I am uploading it here as a separate post as I think it merits some discussion.
Posted by Jonathan:
I know this thread is almost five years old now but I found it interesting to read. I moved to Hamrun from the United Kingdom last year and I am truly appalled at the racism in this country.
I am by no means a do-good hippy type, in fact quite the opposite. I spent four years in the British Army as an infantry soldier and served in Afghanistan during 2010 and 2011.
I have lived in Glasgow, one of the most violent cities in Europe, and have spent a lot of time in South London in a prominently immigrant area. In both places the crime rates are similar: stabbings, murder, prostitution, drugs, and common to both blacks and whites. But a black man is more likely to be followed, stopped and searched.
This is, I believe, what has helped breed a much more serious problem: terrorism. When people are feeling victimised they spend their time looking for help, and unfortunately in the UK now certain clerics are more than willing to offer it – but on their terms.
Now please don’t take me the wrong way here. I am in no way whatsoever anti-Muslim and consider most Muslims to be decent, hardworking members of society just trying to better their life away from the troubles of their homeland. But this what happens when certain groups feel they are being unfairly treated.
When I was in Afghanistan we were always told to be careful when engaging the enemy, because if we were to kill an innocent that would create 10 insurgents as the family would be angry and retaliation is the rule in Afghanistan. The same was also said on just dealing with the general population there on a daily basis: mistreat one good man and you will create 10 bad men.
Thankfully Malta has missed the terror threat of Al Qaeda so far but continue to bully, intimidate and misjudge people simply due to the colour of their skin or their religion, and the repercussions could be vast.
A broken man is an easily-led man.
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The argument expounded by Jonathan merits consideration even though not all terrorist acts are rooted in the kind of “unfair treatment” described by Jonathan. The worst terrorist act of all, 9/11, was committed by Muslims who came from privileged backgrounds and their motives were political and religious not social. It seems it was financed by a rich man of Saudi Arabian origin who is no longer alive.
To my mind, Jonathan’s argument proves beyond doubt that those of us who would like to see all African immigrants sent back to their countries are essentially right in taking their position. No undesired immigrants = no “broken men”. Yes, Jonathan is right: sooner or later, one or more among the African, Muslim immigrants will feel justified in engaging in some terrorist act in Malta. That is why such an opportunity should not be provided. How? By sending all non-European immigrants back to their countries as soon as possible.
Emigration out of Africa is a phenomenon that will not stop any time soon and the laws of physics and of economy dictate that a saturation point has been reached or will be reached eventually — Europe would not be able to take in any more Africans even with all the good will in the world. When saturation will reach unsustainable levels (it may already have done so) civil strife, terrorism and racial discord are bound to grow exponentially. This is a mathematical certainty if not also a law of nature.
I hasten to add that this does not mean that such immigrants should not be saved when in danger on the high seas or that they should not be treated in the most humane manner while they are amongst us. On the contrary, needless to say, African immigrants belong to the human race of which there is but one and one only and, as such, immigrants should be treated with dignity.
But why should we allow into Malta human beings of a different culture, some of whom may pose a threat to us now or in future if we can help it? Does anybody really think that in Malta we may solve the kind of racial problems such as those in Glasgow and London described by Jonathan? Even among black Africans themselves, racism is rife and, in fact, it helped to foster the slave trade to the New World in the 16th-18th centuries.
Other European countries have reached the same conclusion, hence their resistance to our endeavours to persuade them to share the burden.
The real solution must come from Africans themselves who must find a way of resolving their issues and of using the vast wealth in their continent to create democratic societies.
Kindly note that none of my reasoning has anything to do with Maltese party politics. It is all my own for better or for worse. I would therefore appreciate if local politics is not brought into the discussion.
I’ve been involved in volunteer work with immigrants for a while now and even with the rampart racism, many of the Somalis and Eritreans feel safe here. The simple fact is that back home someone could take their life without anything happening.
The only brokenness I’ve seen is psychological. There is only so much you can put up with, and after a traumatic sea journey, a traumatic detention often pushes many off the edge. But I know some amazingly resilient people who’ve formed lives for themselves.
The fact of the matter is some parts of Africa are doing well for themselves. Somaliland is right between the two countries where most of our immigrants originate from, and it is proving itself to be remarkably stable.
But you also seem to put forward the notion that the EU are leaving us to deal with this alone. Greece and Italy have a MUCH higher influx than we do, and Sweden has recently accommodated thousands of Syrian refugees. They haven’t reached “the same conclusion”.
And by ‘off the edge’ I mean lethargy and indifference, not suicidal gun spree.
I think the main thrust of Jonahan’s argument is to treat people with respect. Sending them back as you commend is not the solution. How difficult is it to treat people with respect regardless of colour or race?
Oh dear. Where to begin?
Jonathan’s argument was mainly that we must treat refugees and asylum seekers well, and that failing to do so might bring about violent repercussions. I won’t go into the merits of this argument, but to go from Jonathan’s point to saying that his argument proves that we should send all immigrants back is grossly absurd. Essentially, what you are saying is this: If we treat immigrants wrongly (emphasis on wrongly), then some other people (emphasis on some) might retaliate through violent means. So we should send all refugees back (emphasis on all) to avoid trouble.
By that same reasoning, for instance, to avoid lawsuits from employed women for sexual harassment, we shouldn’t go into the trouble of educating people about harassment, or prosecute people for sexual harassment. Why go into all that trouble when we could eliminate the harassment by forcing all women to stay at home? No women at the workplace = no sexual harassment from men versus women at the place of work. Right? While this would be factually a correct statement, I’m sure you’ll understand that this is just the elimination of one problem through creating a bigger one. The same applies in the case of refugees.
You imply that if we send them all back, there won’t be an opportunity for them to feel aggrieved through being mistreated, and so the potential problem of violent retaliation by others would be eliminated. Let us disregard for a moment the gross injustice of punishing individuals for the potential future crimes (violent retaliation) of others. What makes you think that the single act of sending all black African immigrants back just because they are black Africans won’t itself be correctly perceived as a gross (racist) injustice? You say immigrants should be treated with dignity. Punishing them for the potential future crimes of others is not treating them with dignity. It is the essence of racism.
You also ask why we allow into Malta human beings of a different culture. Well, if you really believe that Malta is a mono-cultural society, you’ve certainly lived a sheltered life. From the things you’ve written, I can already say that we share little in common besides our language and passport. Would you kick me out at the first opportunity if I wasn’t Maltese?
Liberal, thank you for taking the time to reply. I’ve heard all your arguments before — nothing new.
Future Maltese will have the opportunity to decide which one of us was right if nothing is done to solve this situation.
Another contributor mentioned “home-grown” terrorists: precisely, that is what we should worry about right now as the children of these immigrants will be disgruntled Maltese in future.
Integration of non-Europeans into European societies has failed everywhere, in some places more than in others. Do you have children? If you do, think again. None of those who sent in replies has said anything about where the saturation point lies.
Can we continue taking in Africans without any limits as is happening now?
Yes, there are no limits at this time for all an immigrant needs to do is take a boat and cross the sea or be rescued. Your arguments seem to point in that direction for letting in immigrants without control is an open invitation to all Africans to make it to Europe. I leave it to you to ponder.
I remember 30 years ago when other Europeans I met in Malta would comment to me how lucky Malta was in having no immigrants. Well, we’ve gone a long way since then. Ai posteri l’ardua sentenza. I have nothing else to add.
No, No, No, Integration has not failed. Go to Marseille. It’s Jews and Muslims and Christians and Atheists. Go to America or Argentina or Auckland or Melbourne. Look at Malta and Sicily historically. We have already been a crucible in the past.
Out of Africa, likewise, I’ve heard all your “arguments” before, from Lowell supporters. So nothing new there as well.
You say that none of those who sent replies to your comments said anything about where the saturation point lies. Now, since it is you who brought up the saturation point in the debate, the onus is on you to give it to us and substantiate it with the evidence. Then again, you have already suggested that we should send ALL African refugees back, so your talk of saturation points, and whether we can continue taking in Africans is just racist bulls*it.
You would also like to note that I never suggested that we should let immigrants in without control. Controls are already in place. Of course, these would never be enough for the racists among us. After all, control as much as you like, only a push-back policy can guarantee that no black Africans stay here (just because the racists among us don’t like them).
You conclude by saying you remember when, 30 years ago, other Europeans you met in Malta would tell you how lucky Malta was to have no immigrants. Well, perhaps you should move away from redneck and racist circles and perhaps get a proper education.
“But why should we allow into Malta human beings of a different culture?”
Do you mean those who do not have our ‘I’m all right Jack’ culture ?
In the early 1980s, because of the problems between Egypt and Libya, Egyptians would come to Malta to get their Libyan visas from the embassy here. They came in their thousands.
The newspapers in Malta began carrying reports about men wearing long white tunics, defaecating in the public garden at Ta’ Xbiex, sleeping outdoors or crammed into tiny flats.
They slept outdoors because they had no money for hotels. I was a police officer at the time. We organised sleeping quarters at Hal Far barracks with beds provided by Air Malta.
This is where I came into direct contact with heart-rending stories of human tragedy. The pain, the sorrow, the sacrifices, the suffering were incredible. I, who had not had an easy life and had many challenges to face, was stupefied, petrified at what was happening before my eyes.
I can still recall as clear as day the sight of 4 or 5 men crouching over a single tin of sardines of the sort that people used to buy for their cats. They took turns to dip the pieces of bread they held into the small gap in the tin. That was their meal, and they wouldn’t eat again for a couple of days.
Then there were the stories of farmers who sold their last cow, paid some debts owing and had to walk 400 miles to Cairo with just enough money to pay for a fare, just an air ticket nothing more, nothing less.
Egyptian agents, little more than traffickers, would try to accomodate them 10 to 12 to a room. They were supposed to provide them with food but did not. They were supposed to handle flights and visas to Libya but rarely did. They would bring the group to Malta and then fly back, literally abandoning them.
A Libyan official used to come over to Hal Far barracks every morning to INSPECT – yes, inspect – the Egyptian men as he would horses or slaves at a market: teeth, eyes, ears, hair. The way the men were treated, shoved, slapped, made me so furious that I forbade any further such treatment.
When I walked into the barracks, some of the poor Egyptians would kneel and bow in front of me. It hurt to see men of all ages lose their dignity just because they were poor. It hurt to see humanity at such a low ebb, every man with his own story of pain or sorrow. They were suffering in Malta and their families were suffering in Egypt. Some of the scenes and stories haunt me to this day. But I could also see the harshness with which they looked at and spoke of the Libyan who had mistreated them.
I could see how that oppression bred more pain and anger, feelings that if let out of control would erupt into one mass of explosive force of ire and revenge.
Hope was what drove them, and acts of kindness were what kept them going. How could we ever look down on human beings undergoing similar circumstances? I cannot bear to listen to people speak irresponsibly about migrants. They are cruel and insensitive.
Perhaps people comment irresponsibly about immigrants out of sheer ignorance, and I do not mean that insultingly.
Growing up in Sliema in the 1970s/80s, the “men in long tunics” were a familiar sight – and, yes, a bother too, especially towards women.
One could not walk along Sliema or Ta’ Xbiex without coming across them, and often feeling uneasy with them about. Then again, we were not aware of their plight. Internet has really changed the way information goes around freely.
Nice try. The spate of bombings I remember involved our own home-grown terrorists with no cause beyond their own swaggering machismo.
To a man – or should that be wild animal? – none if them achieved anything more than spreading fear and unease. Even with their backers in power, they never rose above the gutter they came from.
Every person is due respect and dignity. And an open ear.
Freedom is a by-product of those basic elements.
It is when those elements are lacking that protection is warranted.
Too often the basic elements are stifled.
I’m not a hippy either, but I think Jonathan’s chain of logic doesn’t quite make sense.
Racism in Malta should be condemned because it’s silly. And that’s that.
The link between the human condition and violent reaction is circumstantial at best. If Jonathan were right, we’d be seeing mass terrorism by the massively unemployed, mistreated and dissatisfied under-35s. All I see is a few feeble sit-ins.
Total respect to Jonathan though.
The discussion is very long but these are a few considerations. The migration flows from Africa will not end and that from North Africa and the Middle East would be of more concern to Malta particularly if the situation in Egypt worsens.
Just to name a few reasons for these flows are the rampant corruption theft and oppression, poverty, medieval traditions and malpractices of democratic principles,. These situations are perpetuated by other factors such as, the growing demographics and the strong determination of the young to learn and improve their living conditions and working opportunities by exploiting the availability of global communication and access to the markets of the developed western nations.
As for racism in Malta, this comes mostly because of fear and this is everywhere to some extent. Those Maltese who have studied in international foreign universities or worked in such places as London Paris, Rome, Madrid, New York, Sydney or Toronto have experienced no inhibitions towards people of all races that they came across. In fact many have dear colleagues of different races who live in these cities.
Terrorism comes from the violent crazy bad apples and yes, these should be stopped just the same as for the hardened criminals in every country. Of course there are law wnforcement and safety problems but the question arises as to where the balance of our democracy should stand, between accepting the incidence of these violent elements in today’s societies and our personal liberties.
Yes, total respect to Jonathan and all those vulnerable people who cross our path whether Maltese, neighbors or Africans.