On Tuesday, a group of around 370 illegal immigrants who are being kept at the Safi barracks left the detention centre at around 1000 CET with the aim to reach Valletta to speak to the Prime Minister and ask him for liberty. The protest was not entirely peaceful and in fact police and army personnel were injured during violent highlights.
The Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party (AD) expresses its solidarity with police and army personnel injured in the violent incidents organized by the group of immigrants. AD said that it strongly condemns these incidents and supports any criminal prosecution which should be taken against the minority of immigrants instigating this violence. A full account of the injuries sustained by all persons involved in the incidents should be publicly available, the AD stated.
AD called upon the EU to express in a concrete manner the solidarity it should be showing with a member state which is on the front line of this global crisis of irregular migration from South to North. AD also called upon the government to withdraw its misguided policy of lengthy detention for immigrants and reiterated its position that having a shorter period of detention of up to six months would drastically reduce the unnecessary tension which has escalated out of control in the army and police detention camps and reduce unnecessary risk to which both personnel and detainees are currently exposed.
The AD said that it notes with concern the comments made by the committee of journalists regarding the attitude of the police towards the media and added that it is at such times of high tension that the commitment of the authorities to freedom of the press are tested. It is to be noted also that had the media been allowed regular and normal access to the detention camps all such incidents could be avoided since media attention would not be a rare and precious commoditiy in the eyes of detainees nor perceived by the armed forces to be inflammatory in times of crisis, AD concluded.
The General Workers’ Union (GWU) in a statement also expressed its solidarity with the police and army personnel injured in the line of duty. The GWU said that such acts should not be tolerated particularly when workers are injured while carrying out their duties. Thus, the union said that all measures should be taken so that such incidents do not occur again. The GWU also declared that it is ready to move shoulder-to-shoulder with the security forces and is ready to show its solidarity with such incidents’ victims with all means possible.
Meanwhile the Ghaqda Dipendenti Suldati within the GWU, whilst condemning Tuesday’s violent riots, urges the PrimeMinister to intervene and assure the soldiers’ safety. It also declared that time is ripe for discussions on the current conditions of work of the members of the Armed Forces of Malta.
See also:
Illegal immigrants stage street protest as more enter Maltese waters
by Giselle Borg Olivier - Jun 27, 2006
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