The Mayor of Zebbug (Malta), Alfred Grixiti, explains in a video interview conducted by Efus the challenges that his town is facing due to the recent surge in the inflow of migrants. The interview was realised shortly after the Executive Committee that took place in Nantes (France) in October 2011, which was attended by Mr Grixiti.
He says that his city joined Efus in order to exchange experience with other European cities on the issue of immigration, and to press European institutions for support. He adds his town and Malta as a whole are confronted to an unmanageable inflow of migrants, in particular because Malta is a small island-State with a population of only 400,000.
The issue of migratory inflows at the southern border of the European Union has raised concern among a certain number of Efus member-cities, and has led Efus to issue, in February 2011, a resolution that called European institutions to intervene.
Following Mr Grixiti’s invitation, Efus will hold its Executive Committee in Zebbug on 7, 8 and 9 March, 2012, and will meet various officials of Malta’s government as well as opposition leaders to discuss the issue of migrants, in particular the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. They will also visit a refugee camp.
Good for mr. Grixti to have invited EFUs…I think they should also meet the people at marsa safi and brizebbugia and kirkop and they will all tell you -particularly at marsa the problems that these refugees/illegal immigrants and asylum cheats have created for the community….ask the people and they tell you who the troublemakers are and where they come from and the problems of shoplifting drunken violent fights urinating in public unwarrented passes at women and other violations which have rendred the local communities living next to them vigilant and angry. remember what happened when the native populations at lampedusa and rosarno lost their patience with these ungrateful guests. Let us hope it will never happen in malta . and thanks to the local police force who is clamping down on their abuses. enough is enough!! sadly the maltese media only shows one side of the coin. hence the resentment and i hate to say it hence the racism too. pinot and co. should pass a message that only those who deserve status should be helped and they must behave as refugees not liberty takers!!
As a network of European cities committed to building safer cities, we are indeed grateful to Mr Grixiti for inviting us to Malta and enabling us to reach a better – if not complete – understanding of the situation Maltese citizens and refugees are facing. We hear your point of view: an informed debate around such important issues must be ongoing, and we hope it will remain civil and constructive.