'Say no to racism'

Speakers taking part in the national conference on irregular migration yesterday underlined the importance of stemming the growing racism at once before the situation spirals out of control.

Politicians, NGOs and top officials teamed up during a conference in a chorus of disapproval towards the increasing xenophobia, a phenomenon seemingly being fuelled by irregular migration.

Former Chief Justice Joseph Said Pullicino said it was high time for the authorities to establish a clear definition of what constitutes a political party. It was also time to find out whether there were means of prohibiting the setting up of a political party which spread discrimination on the basis of race, colour or creed.

The negative attitude of a "substantial" part of society towards irregular migration, often brought about by ignorance, should not be undermined either, Judge Said Pullicino warned.

While expressing his opposition to the fact that the media was completely barred from accessing the detention camps, Judge Said Pullicino said that the fundamental right of freedom of expression also meant the right to receive and communicate information.

Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina urged people to look at the instability of several war-torn African countries before passing judgment on anybody.

"We have to take into consideration that these traumatised people are often escaping from violence and did not want to land here," Ms Cristina said. "The biggest mistake we can make is to put them into a different category simply because they have a different skin colour."

Ms Cristina spoke of the hardships that some of the irregular immigrants were facing, citing in particular the case of the woman who was forced to throw her dead new-born baby off a boat.

She said there was a big difference between those who were expressing preoccupation because of the influx of immigrants and those showing signs of racism. "Racism fans violence and incites hatred. We have to speak out loud and clear and say no to racism."

The Labour spokesman for social policy, Marie Louise Coleiro agreed, and underlined the need to combat racism at all levels - not in a "fundamentalist" manner but through awareness campaigns, education and integration.

The General Workers' Union's general secretary, Tony Zarb, claimed that several refugees were being exploited by their employers and given inferior work conditions, a convenient way to create cheap labour.

The GWU, he said, had received information that certain employers, especially in the construction industry, had the cheek to report to the police on payday the immigrants that they themselves had employed illegally.

"This is modern slavery - and the GWU intends to continue exposing such cases, despite the threats we receive," Mr Zarb pledged.

The general secretary of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, Gejtu Vella said it was sad that certain employers still believed they were doing asylum seekers a favour by employing them and paying them a pittance.

The Malta Employers' Association's director general Joe Farrugia suggested the setting up of a clear system of applications to ensure the smooth transition of refugees into the country's labour market.

Nationalist Party general secretary Joe Saliba urged the public to try and also see the problem through the immigrants' eyes. "We need to give them the opportunities to adapt themselves to different cultures," he appealed.

The PN condemned all forms of racism - the issue with irregular migration was not just a matter of tolerance but of solidarity, Mr Saliba said.

Labour Party general secretary Jason Micallef suggested the setting up of a national front against racism and urged the authorities to look overseas to realise the dangers of such intolerance.

He underlined the importance of self-regulation in the media and asked whether events that spread racism should be reported or publicised.

Lawyer George Abela probed why international organisations like Amnesty International and UNHCR had not been given space to air their views in the conference, which, he felt, was hijacked to a large extent by too many politicians.

Maria Pisani, from Integra Foundation, said the fact that the conference was delivered in Maltese, when some of the participants were refugees, showed that Malta still had a long way to go before it could boast of having a policy of integration.

Other speakers during yesterday's conference included Refugee Appeals Board president Henry Frendo and Peace Lab director Fr Dionysius Mintoff.