Can this be Malta?

It looks as if fortress Europe is currently under attack. From outside, we witness the multitude of those who in their desperation to flee from corrupt governments or in their pursuit of better economic conditions abroad, risk life on leaky boats or climb bastions in a bid for freedom.

From within, we are under attack from views delivered by those with extreme right-wing tendencies who believe that it is time to raise all drawbridges and let no one in. To Josephine's: "Let them eat cake" we respond: "Let them drown in their own miseries".

It is in this current atmosphere of xenophobia that the European Civil Liberties Network (ECLN) is launching a Conference in Brussels today to deal with what they see as an urgent problem.

In their launch statement, they state:

"We are living at a moment in history when civil liberties and democracy are under attack as never before and the need for a collective response to counter these threats has never been greater.

"We share common objectives of seeking to create a European society based on freedom and equality, of fundamental civil liberties and personal and political freedoms, of free movement and freedom of information, and equal rights for minorities. This entails defending, extending and deepening the democratic culture - a concept not limited to political parties and elections but embracing wider values of pluralism, diversity and tolerance. And we share too a common opposition to racism, fascism, sexism and homophobia.

"The defence of civil liberties and democracy also requires that positive demands are placed on the agenda. For example, respect and rights for all people, cultures and their histories, for the presumption of innocence and freedom from surveillance and the freedom to protest and demonstrate. To these ends the European Civil Liberties Network (ECLN) has been established".

The summer season in Malta has brought waves of illegal immigrants and has inspired howls of antagonism against certain foreigners. It is depressing to note the result of the (admittedly unscientific) survey carried out by The Times recently which showed that almost half of the voters described themselves as intolerant or even racist. Previous, more scientific surveys point in the same direction (see The Sunday Times, August 14).

There is no doubt that a wave of anti-liberalism is spreading over the country like an ominous cloud. Compassion fatigue has set in and we do not want to share. Hiding under the banner of faith, family and country, superficially very laudable aims, one could easily espouse extreme rightist views.

One need only remember the fascist demagogy of the 1920s, which, among other things, exalted the virtues of: a strong nationalism; a hate of liberalism, democracy and parliamentary parties, with preference to a single overriding party; a single, charismatic leader; a cult of violence, with exaltation of war and military service; strong racist sentiments.

Most of us would prefer to sit back and hope that these tendencies will be no more than passing irritations that will be forgotten like mosquito bites with the coming of the cool season. There is, however, no such guarantee, and one hopes there is still within Maltese society a submerged and silent majority who would not be tainted with such concepts and will stand up for a fair and tolerant society.

It is therefore refreshing to read the exhortations of people like Fr Paul Chetcuti, SJ, president, Conference of Religious Major Superiors, (The Sunday Times, October 16), and comments by the Emigrants' and Refugees' Commission (The Times, October 15) condemning racism.

It is also heartening to see that academics in various fields have felt the need to come out and publicly condemn these developments. One would also expect strong direction to be taken by the political parties. In their effort to protect their members' jobs, trade unions must not fan the fires that have started.

In the aftermath of joining a strong Europe, we should proclaim and disseminate the principles upon which such a community has been built and not hark back to the dark days when extreme ideologies all but destroyed it.