The article ‘Dwindling migrant arrivals but xenophobia rife’ (January 14) does not help in clarifying the issue of the reaction in Malta to the wave of unregulated migration into the island.
Words are used too loosely. Xenophobia is a morbid dislike of foreigners but the local hostile reaction to the unregulated migrant flow into Malta from North Africa is not the same as xenophobia.
I am not aware of a morbid dislike of foreigners settling in Malta from Western Europe and other countries with a similar culture to that prevailing in Malta. The article itself hints as much.
The article makes a link with the negative effects caused by the Isis-inspired attacks in Paris, yet it makes no link at all with the most recent, and more relevant, events in Cologne, Sweden, Finland and other countries where there has been a negative reaction, not all that different from the local one, to migrants, mainly from North Africa, who evinced a culture towards Western women that is simply not acceptable.
This is a clash of civilisations. This is its true name, andnot xenophobia. Having said that I do not defend in any way comments and attitudes that are xenophobic or hateful towards persons following a different culture in their own country, or who respect the culture of others in which they happen to live.
By distorting the real picture of what is happening today in Europe we do not help in any way towards a solution.