Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1000343
MALTA'S relationship with foreigners is a love-hate affair that changes, depending on whether they are regular workers or asylum seekers, a MaltaToday survey has found. While 41.5% of Maltese have no concern at all over foreigners who legally work and live in Malta, 41.2% fear that asylum seek- ers are 'invading us'. The feeling of 'invasion' is the topmost concern for people when asked about asy- lum seekers and to a much lesser extent (10.7%) when asked about regular foreign workers. And while the list of concerns, for both categories of foreigners, includes aspects such as the threat to jobs, rising rental prices and more criminality, almost three quarters of Maltese see no fear of foreign- ers in the locality where they live. This suggests that the debate on foreign- ers and asylum seekers, may be condi- tioned as much by perception as by reality. But the survey did deliver an over- whelming response when people were asked if Malta could take in more foreign- ers. With the number of non-Maltese who have made the islands their home – even if temporarily growing exponentially over the past few years – the survey found that 90.6% believe Malta cannot take more for- eigners. The survey had 562 respondents and was carried out between the 18 and 22 June. MALTATODAY SURVEY ON FOREIGNERS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS Newspaper post maltatoday today today SUNDAY • 1 JULY 2018 • ISSUE 973 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY WORLD CUP 2018 SCORES AND STATS WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT/WORLDCUP2018 €1.95 today today SUNDAY • 1 JULY 2018 • ISSUE 973 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today Latest World Cup scores and stats on your mobile Latest World Cup scores and stats on your mobile FREE! VIDA Magazine WITH MALTATODAY See how on Page 2 GET 2 FREE TICKETS to see JOSEPH CALLEJA and Eros Ramazzotti What is the one thing that concerns you most about foreigners who came to Malta without documents in search of asylum? They are invading us Other Crime will increase Nothing Culture/identity loss They take our jobs Property prices increases We will lose our religion 41.21% 24.52% 15.95% 7.72% 5.67% 3.33% 0.92% 0.67% Maltese fear 'invasion' SEE ALSO: FULL SURVEY RESULTS PAGES 10 TO 12 • EDITORIAL PAGE 18 • SAVIOUR BALZAN'S OPINION PAGE 21 INTERVIEW Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg on the uprooting of trees and much more YANNICK PACE NGO migrant vessels operating in the Mediterranean were dealt another blow yesterday when Italy decided that it too would no longer be allowing its ports to be used for refuelling and the restocking of provisions. Salvini's decision came two days after Malta also decided to close its ports to NGO vessels, and a few hours after 100 migrants lost their lives after their boat cap- sized off the Libyan coast. Over the past three weeks, Italy and Malta have been caught in a dispute about responsibility for migrants saved in the Mediter- ranean. Italy's new government has insisted that the country will not allow any NGO vessels to disembark passengers in Italy, and has now upped the ante by preventing these same ves- sels from refuelling in its ports. NGOs fear more deaths in the Med as Italy and Malta close ports 3 MFSA asks ECB to withdraw Pilatus Bank operating licence operating PAGE 3