Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1181922
OPINION 27 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 NOVEMBER 2019 Change is not an option Edward Zammit Lewis Edward Zammit Lewis is Minister for European Affairs and Equality ON a regular, if not daily, ba- sis I meet people who express their concerns about immi- gration and integration, be it about jobs for their children or grandchildren, security in their neighbourhood, or else the stresses on the country's infrastructure. I also meet others who embrace migra- tion as a driver for economic growth. It is normal and healthy for citizens to engage in debate about one of the top issues not only here, but also at the European and the global level. Indeed, such debate should be encouraged in a demo- cratic society, and politicians should consider the divergent views and provide the an- swers that citizens require. Everyone has to some degree discussed or come across, whether in person or on social media, contrasting views on the recent riot at the Ħal Far open centre. Again, this is normal and healthy. How could such a happening be ignored? Although there have been similar events in the past, particularly in closed centres, the "Tent Village" riot impacted innocent open centre residents and staff, as well as Maltese society as a whole. This as a result of the considerable number of par- ticipants and the extent of the violence and the damage. Before the law, all are equal, and those who break the law must be brought to justice. In this regard, I must laud the expeditious way in which over 100 alleged aggressors were arraigned before the Courts. I believe that even the migrant community felt that the perpetrators com- mitted an injustice towards their fellow migrants, because unfortunately the bad name tends to stick to everyone and this criminal act fuelled further hate towards them. The riot exposed a very dark side to the debate about immigration and integration. Social media in particular is flooded with disturb- ing violent and illegal hate speech, which is very clearly racist and xenophobic in nature. There have been in the past other manifestations of hate speech online, but the current volume and content being directed at refugees and migrants raise alarm bells because it is not unknown for hate speech to have deadly consequences. Tragically we have recently witnessed an allegedly racially motivated murder, and the worst thing we can do in the face of the current spike in hate speech is do or say nothing. It is true that change does not happen overnight, but in this case no change is not an option. The law is clear. Hate speech is illegal under Mal- tese criminal law, and is pun- ishable by up to 18 months in prison, along with hefty fines stretching into thousands of euro. The two Equality Bills which my Ministry will be piloting through Parliament will make hate crime and hate speech also a form of discrimination. With the aim of eliminating xenophobia, this Act extends protection against incitement to racial hatred and other forms of hate speech, whether against foreigners or any other group, through the widening of the list of protected character- istics. As a result, the basis upon which incitement to racial hatred is criminal- ised under criminal law will also be widened to provide protection to every person or group against hate crimes. In contrast to the popu- list and almost xenophobic statements coming from the Opposition, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat spoke of the path of integration as the one road to take, as a country. Two years ago my Minis- try launched Malta's first integration policy and it is now bearing fruit. Very good results have been achieved in terms of implementation, but on the other hand I have no qualms stating that much more needs to be done. This recent event and the Prime Minister's leadership in the aftermath have made it clear that the second integration framework, for which we will soon be launching a public consultation, must necessar- ily address racism and xeno- phobia amongst its topmost priorities. Specifically, my Ministry will work on and de- liver a national action plan to combat racism and xenopho- bia. Such a tool will address the educational and cultural changes which, hand in hand with legislation and policy, are required to stamp out this scourge. We will ensure that all stakeholders, includ- ing migrant communities, are brought on board to leverage all experience and expertise available to achieve the best results. Just as an example of the educational and cultural chal- lenges in our efforts to ad- dress racism and xenophobia, I will mention a certain cler- ic's warped ideas on patriot- ism, or dare I say nationalism, evoking nostalgia for a form of love for one's country that is more suited to the time of the Great Siege, shamelessly using that religious credibility and imagery that still weighs significantly in this country. Time is ripe to reclaim patri- otism from the far-right and reframe it in the progressive terms that are required today. For they represent extreme nationalism, and not patri- otism. One might feel that all this is far removed from the hate speech currently on display, but it is not. Many of the posts directly or indi- rectly refer to our country, our religion, our culture, and so on. Worryingly, the discourse about patriotism on the right evokes a conspiracy theory generally called the "great replacement" theory. Rosa Schwartzburg has written that this theory can gener- ally be understood as two core beliefs. "The first is that 'western' identity is under siege by massive waves of immigration from non-Eu- ropean/non-white countries, resulting in a replacement of white European individu- als via demographics. The second is that replacement has been orchestrated by a shadowy group as part of their grand plan to rule the world – which they will do by creating a completely racially homogenous society." Again, many posts reflect a familiar- ity with such racist theories that cannot and must not go unchallenged. I will conclude where I started. The vast majority of us have no issue with the intercultural, cosmopolitan society we have become. We can see that we are better off as a country that embraces strength in diversity. The "us" versus "them" siege mental- ity must be rejected once and for all through strict enforce- ment of the law and all other available tools. I am proud to form part of a government that is once again leading. The "us" versus "them" siege mentality must be rejected once and for all through strict enforcement of the law and all other available tools. I am proud to form part of a government that is once again leading Before the law, all are equal, and those who break the law must be brought to justice. In this regard, I must laud the expeditious way in which over 100 alleged aggressors were arraigned before the Courts.