A man and woman at Valletta's City Gate were seen 'arguing' over the topic of African immigrants yesterday, amid accusations that "the blacks" are taking Maltese jobs and invading Malta. The woman said that the number of immigrants in Malta totalled less than one per cent of the population. In the meantime, she said, nobody ever complained about the 9,000 Russian immigrants in Malta "because they are blonde". The two were actors who role played common misconceptions to raise awareness. Refugees shared their experiences with a curious crowd that gathered during an activity organised by the Migrant Solidarity Movement and Graffitti to mark World Refugee Day today. A group of people wore white masks and stood in front of a banner in remembrance of the thousands of migrants who die in the Mediterranean Sea in search of a new life.
Racist feelings were best fought by addressing people's unfounded fears brought about because of a lack of information, Andre Callus from Moviment Graffitti said. Sudanese Hassan Mohammed Saleban explained how he chose to leave his country after his father died during the war, in search of a better life and to earn money to send home to his sick mother. During his travels, he said he had to endure four days of "punishment" in Libya by being left out in the scorching sun during the day and out in the cold at night. After that he and his friends were taken to a prison where they spent 18 months living in a small crammed cell with a hole for a toilet. Reflecting on his experience, Mr Callus appealed to the authorities not to send immigrants back to Libya. Libyan Fawzi Sadegh, who was listening to the stories, objected to the statement and explained his country did not have a prison just for black people, as had been suggested. In fact, he said, many black people worked there legally.
A Nigerian refugee said that during the years he spent in Malta he learnt the plastering trade. However, he was sometimes turned away because of his skin colour. Somali Jon Low explained his frustration when he overheard people assuming he was living off government charity because he owned a mobile phone. He explained he had bought his phone with the money he earned while working legally and paying taxes. In a statement issued yesterday, the Nationalist Party called on all Maltese to show solidarity towards refugees who left their country in search of a place to call home. While Malta was small and there was a limit to its resources and the number of refugees it could accommodate, it would be wrong to use this as an excuse to close the door to people in need, the PN said.
Times of Malta
