Ethnic communities often complain about unofficial discrimination in the housing market but their claims can now be backed by at least one “blatant” example.
This is an example of blatant racist discourse and discrimination which should be dealt with in the appropriate manner.
Real estate agency Simon Estates published an advert on its website to attract aspiring leasers to a two-bedroom flat in Qawra for €300 a month.
But what caused a stir was a phrase casually dropped in at the end of the advert: “No arabs, blacks or young boys.”
The phrase was eventually deleted but not until several outraged people began sharing the link on Facebook, calling it shameful.
The case has been reported to the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality.
Responding to questions by The Times, the NCPE pointed out that such discrimination was against the law since a legal notice published in 2007 made it illegal to treat people differently on the grounds, for example, of race or ethnic origin.
The law makes specific reference to housing and to adverts. “Any person who acts in breach of (this) article shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to the penalties established for contraventions.”
Asked what it was doing about this case, the NCPE said it launched an investigation whenever it received a complaint. The NCPE also pointed out that the complaints must be submitted in writing and supplemented with evidence, though help was at hand to fill in the necessary forms.
It did not specify if it was looking into this particular case although it told a person who lodged a complaint that it was.
But as some Facebook users pointed out, could this advert be symptomatic of a widespread problem which is not usually expressed so blatantly?
Last year, the NCPE published a study showing that racial discrimination is “common” when looking for a place to rent or buy. “The majority of respondents who experiences discrimination on the basis of race/ethnic origin, claimed to have been discriminated against in the sphere of accomodation. In all cases, the perpetrator of the discrimination was the potential landlord.”
Since 2007, NCPE has received three official written complaints from members of ethnic minorities about housing discrimination, though this figure could be a result of underreporting, which is also common.
Local non-profit organisation Integra Foundation, which seeks to help refugees and asylum-seekers with integration, said the Simon Estates advert was “an example of blatant racist discourse and discrimination which should be dealt with in the appropriate manner”.
Speaking on behalf of the foundation, Maria Pisani pointed out that the discourse used in the advert reflected commonly held “myths, false beliefs and stereotypes” that were woven through Maltese society, in this case, about people from minority ethnic groups as well as young people.
“Such discourse produces a system of social inequality wherein different minority social groups do not have equal access to material and nonmaterial social resources.”
She added that service providers have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure this discourse was not reproduced and that their services were made available to everyone, without discrimination.
Ms Pisani said it was positive, however, that the advert was shared on social networking sites, showing, perhaps, that there was a growing percentage of Maltese people who find this behaviour unacceptable.
Simon Estates did not reply to questions about the case.