Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1118959
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 MAY 2019 ACTIVISTS Graffitti have called for a serious investigation and appropriate action to eradi- cate institutional racism inside the Armed Forces of Malta, af- ter two soldiers were arrested in connection with the murder of Lassana Cisse Souleymane. "The arraignment of these two soldiers is not enough. A seri- ous investigation and appropri- ate action should be taken to eradicate institutional racism, that may include also violent elements," spokesperson Andre Callus said. "This is not the first murder of an African person by the AFM, although it is the most serious one due to the nature of the case. In the past eight years, two other African migrants – Ifeanyi Nwokoye in 2011 and Mamadou Kamara in 2012 – were killed by soldiers following beatings. "Only half-hearted actions were taken in these cases, with everything indicating that there was an effort to cover-up these murders. Moreover, some members of the AFM have pub- licly expressed racist sentiments and support for far-right ideolo- gies, seemingly with no conse- quences." Callus stressed that not all AFM members should be ac- cused of being racist. "Many are not, and we must not forget that they have res- cued the lives of thousands of migrants at sea. However, en- suring a zero-tolerance policy of hatred and racism within the army, as well as in other insti- tutions, is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed immedi- ately. "Allowing racism to fester in government institutions means allowing the growth of a de- structive force that can threaten the foundations of our democ- racy. Taking the case of Lassana seriously by finding and charg- ing the perpetrators is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done." Callus was unequivocal about the murder being a terrorist at- tack motivated by racism. "The murder of Lassana and the wounding of two other Afri- can migrants, guilty only of be- ing at the same place and time during a racist drive-by shoot- ing, is a case of unprecedent gravity in Malta. "Although this is not the first assault and murder of innocent victims, there are two elements in this case which make it truly alarming. First, this was a ter- rorist attack motivated by racial hatred, since people were shot at because of their skin colour by assailants unknown to them, with the aim of instilling fear in whole communities. Second, it has now been discovered that, most probably, these assail- ants are members of the Armed Forces of Malta." Callus said it was positive that Police had carried out a serious investigation and are taking the necessary actions. "I'm saying this because we know from past incidents of racially-motivated crimes that this has not always been the case. But it now seems that this case is being handled as it should be." NEWS "This was a terrorist attack motivated by racial hatred, since people were shot at because of their skin colour by assailants unknown to them" 'Terrorist attack motivated by racial hatred' Mamadou Kamara was killed at the hands of AFM members while being kept in custody Graffitti activist Andre Callus: 'Many AFM soldiers are not racist and have rescued thousands at sea' THE Maltese far-right is at- tempting a defence of its in- flammatory discourse on immi- gration, after yesterday's arrest of two AFM soldiers. A spokesperson for Nazi apol- ogist Norman Lowell's party Imperium Europa, which re- cently billed itself 'Malta's third party' on the back of rising poll numbers, denied any connec- tion between the firebrand's speeches and the murder. The IE spokesperson refut- ed suggestions that Lowell's speech had led to the climate in which the racially-motivated murder of Souleymane and the attempted murder of two other men took place. "The party condemns every type of murder, hate and vio- lence. There is absolutely no connection [between what Norman Lowell says and this murder]," the spokesper- son said. "MaltaToday was quick to make the link between what hap- pened and the far-right, but people who don't think twice before doing something can come from any political sphere." The IE spokesperson said the arrest of the two men showed that Maltese police were doing their job well, and that the arrests should not place a bad light on the armed forces. "The AFM is not part of this crime." The spokesperson, answering Adriano Spiteri's mobile phone but identifying himself as An- drew Galea, claimed IE did not see migrants as a problem. "Mi- grants either take advantage of the system to come to Europe, or, in their minority, are genu- ine refugees. It is the irrespon- sible governments, which let in uncontrolled influxes of migrants, which are our targets," he said. "The Maltese people are un- happy with the large number of migrants, and our policies are against this influx which is af- fecting them," he added. Patriots question timing of arrests Another far-right party, the Moviment Patriotti Maltin – which was first to dispute press statements that the murder was racially motivated – proceeded to raise suspicions as to why the murder was solved right before the MEP elections. The murder happened right in the midst of an election campaign on 6 April. The MPM has organised nu- merous protests against immi- gration and petitions against "forced integration". "We are unreservedly con- demning the murder of Lassana Cisse Souleyman... no murder is justified, no matter the moti- vation [but] It is a curious fact that the unfounded and prema- ture doubts spread by the media shortly after the murder were consolidated just a few days before the elections which are so important for the Maltese people. We hope that this case is not being used to shut the mouths of the Maltese who al- ways fight for Malta's cause in the most civil and democratic way." Contacted earlier in the day, MPM candidate Simon Borg accused the media of having sent out a message that misrep- resented the Patriots party, and which could have pushed others into carrying out racially-moti- vated actions. "Had the media given us a better platform, we would have expressed our ideas better... there are extremist par- ties in Malta, but the MPM is not one of them." Now the far- right tries to clear its name after campaign of hate... Holocaust denier and Nazi apologist Norman Lowell: polls show the far-right vote will go entirely to his Imperium Europa