There is no simple and ethical solution to the migrant problem. Such a complex and multi-faceted issue with major ethical and geo-political concerns can never be resolved simply.
Calls on social media to “send them back to their country” are inane because that route will not result in a cessation of their journeys to Malta in the future. This isn’t a Maltese or Italian problem, it’s European, if not global.
Whether or not players like Poland or Hungary choose to see the reality of the situation, all European countries bear the responsibility of coming to a decision over what is to be done, and while unanimity regarding this decision is nigh on impossible, a majority should at least decide. Democracy may not be the best system, but it is the best of a bad bunch.
Unfortunately, most reactions visible on social media websites are bred from deep-rooted racism.
Those who spew the most dangerous kind of racism preface their comments with a disclaimer denouncing racism or excluding themselves from falling within a bracket of racists. They fail to realise their brand of racism is a far more insidious one, and relies on a misinformed, unilateral perception of immigrants as the ‘other’, the proverbial ‘them’ to our ‘us’.
In one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our generation, we are falling far too easily into the trap of ignoring the humanistic element.
Many of these immigrants are innocent people, fleeing war-torn countries in the hopes of establishing a better life for their families elsewhere, a sentiment all of us can relate to. They do not necessarily want to come to Europe but are motivated by a desire to simply leave their country.
This is not to say that these immigrants are free from any responsibility. On the contrary, should they wish to establish themselves in any country, it is their duty to learn or begin to learn the language and assimilate to the best of their ability in that country’s culture, while being allowed the possibility of retaining their individualistic freedoms and life choices.
This opportunity to restart their lives in a better country is not free, however, the cost of successful integration is more than reasonable.
Malta prides itself on its progressive values and yet fails to apply the same empathy to immigrants as they do to other disadvantaged groups.
Malta prides itself on its progressive values and yet fails to apply the same empathy to immigrants as they do to other disadvantaged groups
What did anyone reasonably expect would happen at Ħal Far? How long could you be detained in such conditions before rebelling? Lock anyone up in a cage for long enough without any answers as to what is going to happen to them and they are bound to revolt, and to do so in a demonstratively violent manner, if not as a reaction to their surroundings then at least in a desperate attempt to manifest any form of control over their surroundings after being deprived of it for months, if not years.
This is not to excuse or condone such behaviour but to understand it in the context of the deprivation of these immigrants’ fundamental freedoms.
It is far too easy for us to judge these people from the comfort of our own lives. Our privileged positions prevent us from understanding the depth of despair these people have lived in, and still live in, providing a smoke-screen which disturbs our perception of the reality of this situation.
Malta (and to a slightly lesser extent Italy) should not be allowed to shoulder the burden of immigration alone.
The rest of the European nations must understand that their failure to address this issue collectively is leading to a rise in the right-wing movement, as clearly evident in Italy and also in Malta, with even more people appearing to give credit to Norman Lowell for his foresight.
The geographical component of this issue is a factor that plays a fundamental part in the crisis as a whole. The Dublin Regulation requires that asylum seekers have their asylum claim registered in the first country they arrive in, which more often than not is either Malta or Italy.
Immigrants are then detained pending a long asylum process with other European countries seemingly happy to leave them detained in Malta rather than take on the responsibility of involving themselves in relocating the immigrants.
This is not to advocate for an open border policy allowing any Tom, Dick and Harry to enter our country without any checks. Naive approaches such as this one will almost certainly lead to Maltese society rejecting these individuals. Before we can look at how many immigrants Malta can integrate, we must first look at Europe’s response to this crisis.
An international crisis calls for international collaboration to reach a common solution. Turning these people away and sending them back is to stain our hands with their blood.
Consciously refusing to prevent potential deaths is to bring complicity upon ourselves.
If human rights are a privilege which we hold in such high esteem in Europe, how have we so quickly forgotten that these people are also humans, albeit from a different continent?
Timothy Vella is a student currently reading for a Masters in Advocacy at the University of Malta.