Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545722
Christine Cassar: 'People aren't angry at immigrants, but the effects of our economic model' Moviment Graffitti's Christine Cassar is one of the authors behind a policy paper calling for stateless children in Malta to be granted citizenship. Malta is the only country they know, she tells Matthew Farrugia, questioning the logic of keeping these children in permanent limbo 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 JULY 2026 INTERVIEW MOVIMENT Graffitti activist Christine Cassar believes the prevalent anti-foreigner senti- ment isn't truly aimed at for- eigners, but rather the effects of Malta's economic model. Cassar's assessment seeks to steer the debate away from la- bels and focus it on solutions that are humane and respectful. And that is what a recently pub- lished policy paper by Movi- ment Graffitti seeks to do about stateless children. Titled Ending Child Stateless- ness in Malta, the policy paper argues for the creation of a cit- izenship pathway for around 171 people who have always known Malta as their home. Cassar is one of the policy pa- per's authors. She notes that during a press conference in Valletta that launched the policy document, some passersby approached ac- tivists and expressed their frus- tration that Malta feels like it is full to the brim with foreigners. Understanding the wide sense of anger and frustration, Cassar insists that such anger should be directed at the economic model enabling this situation, and not at the children facing hurdles because they are state- less. She explains that stateless children face barriers later in life such as being unable to open bank accounts or apply for post-secondary education. Addressing what she calls "misconceptions", Cassar says the NGO's proposals do not mean that each child born in Malta will be granted citizen- ship, or that citizenship given to stateless children is automat- ically granted to their relatives.