Indian charity walker faces barrage of racist and hateful comments

An Indian man attempting to reach his homeland on foot to raise awareness of climate change has responded to racist comments on social media and called for commentators to support his effort rather than resorting to “bullying”.

Climate change activist Jaydip Lakhankiya recently set off from Auberge de Castille on a 10,000km solo journey to reach India on foot while carrying out clean-ups along the way, an undertaking he estimates will take him around 18 months.

While many applauded his mission, a significant number of commentators hurled derogatory and racist comments at him and the Indian community.

The comments ranged from “Don’t forget to take a shower when you arrive” to “And take your curry mates too” to “Just f*** off back to your country”.

“Keep going... may 10,000 more follow,” said another person, while one social media user said, “too bad he’s going alone”.

Addressing the derogatory comments, Lakhankiya said they were representative of a mentality that was “not good for a tourism country”, with many third-country nationals (TCNs), including Indians, employed in the sector, in addition to healthcare and other areas of hospitality.

“If they [TCNs] all went back, the country would struggle. We need to think about everything, not just ourselves,” he said, while reiterating his efforts to promote Malta, including carrying the country’s flag with him on his trek, along the way.

“It is very difficult to walk 30 kilometres a day, collect garbage daily, speak about climate change every day, sleep on the road, reduce food and water and after all that, read such negative and hurtful comments,” he said. “If you do not want to help, that is fine. But please do not try to pull me down.”

Jaydip Lakhankiya (right) with the prime minister’s wife, Lydia Abela, in front of the Auberge de Castille in Valletta.

He stressed that with third-country national workers filling a range of job positions – often paid at minimum wage – “the country would struggle” without them.

“If you really have a problem with third-country nationals, talk to your government,” he said when contacted.

His comments mirror those of an Indian community leader and union representative, who said TCNs were experiencing high levels of hate in Malta, while appealing for tolerance.

Scores of commentators leapt to Lakhankiya’s defence, however, with one Maltese man saying, “A lot of people here are embarrassing my island with their negative comments”.

By Friday, Lakhankiya had crossed Sicily and was preparing to board a ferry across the Strait of Messina, having travelled some 260 kilometres and passing through around 37 towns.

‘Very demotivating’

Manav Sanger, the TCN representative at the General Workers’ Union told Times of Malta he had been forwarded screenshots of the comments by “a lot” of people in the Indian community and called the remarks “very demotivating”.

Sanger has lived in Malta for more than a decade and said, “Before, it was not like this; the level of hate we are seeing now was not common”.

He said it hurt to see comments urging all Indians to pack their bags and go back to their country.

We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking for equal treatment and respect

“We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking for equal treatment and respect.”

Stressing that Malta’s migrant community “contribute to this country in many ways”, the community leader asked those posting negative comments to consider the implications of non-EU workers leaving the country.

“A person wakes up and wants to order food but delivery apps aren’t functioning because most riders are Indians or TCNs; he tries to book a taxi but many drivers are Indians or TCNs. He thinks of taking a bus but many drivers there are also TCNs,” he said.

“He walks to a restaurant –it’s closed because staff are missing; he goes to a supermarket – it’s overcrowded because workers are not there; he visits a hospital – there is a shortage of nurses; he calls a care home – no care workers are available.

“This is the contribution people often fail to see.”

‘We should stand together against abuse’

Sanger urged the public to realise how Indians are rarely involved in serious crime, so why are they being singled out?

While acknowledging that some non-EU residents “may do wrong things or may not have proper civic sense”, he stressed that the entire community should not be judged for the mistakes of a small minority.

“In fact, many TCNs are the ones who pass through abuse at work or become victims of exploitation. It is often easier for some employers to mistreat a TCN because they think we will stay quiet,” the GWU representative said, while expressing his thanks to the union for its support of migrant workers.

“At the same time, we should also stand together against abuse in general. Many locals sometimes end up without jobs, and tensions rise. But the solution is not hate; the solution is fairness.”