Herman Grech

Refugees at the Hal-Far open centre are determined to take the taunts and threats in their stride, even if the anti-immigrant sentiment in Malta is making them edgy.

A visit to the open centre showed immigrants raring to jump at the first available opportunity to resettle in another country but they have appealed for understanding and compassion until they seek a way out.

"The colour of our skin seems to be reason enough for a lot of Maltese to stop treating us like normal human beings," one Eritrean told The Times.

Name-calling and snide remarks have become the order of the day as the refugees face an uphill struggle trying to integrate into Maltese society. As more boatloads of asylum seekers land in Malta, the anti-immigrant feeling can only be exacerbated.

To top it all, the refugees fear that the terrorist bombings in London will help fuel racist sentiments and hostility. In fact, they refused to have their picture taken, fearing reprisals.

There have been two cases of physical aggression involving refugees in the last three weeks and a flyer distributed at the Hal-Far centre last Tuesday threatened them if they remained in Malta.

The open centre, run by the Appogg agency, which falls under the Social Solidarity Ministry, houses refugees and those who have obtained humanitarian protection.

Many of the immigrants, who have been in Malta between six and 18 months, said they do not feel safe walking the streets, especially at
night on the road leading from Hal-Far to Birzebbuga.

"We ignore the constant taunts but that doesn't mean we don't fear for our safety," Tesfalem, a 27-year-old Eritrean, said.

Mufa Nielsen, 29, of Liberia said: "Of course we worry when we are threatened. But ultimately, only God knows what is right."

Mubratu, an Eritrean, said the Maltese had a tendency to denounce asylum seekers without giving them the chance to explain where they came from, why they fled and that they did not want to harm anybody.

One refugee said he was distressed with the way the Maltese stereotyped black people. "Just because we're black doesn't mean we're all radical, violent and uneducated Muslims, when in fact most of us are Christians," he said.

The illegal immigrants are aware that many Maltese are stirred up about immigration and that the tight hold on the influx of asylum seekers will prevail, whichever party is in government.

They said they understood that their presence was posing an economic burden but underlined that human compassion and solidarity should rise above everything.

Some of the illegal immigrants blamed the media for creating certain misconceptions, accusing them of focusing solely on the problems of the Middle East, while forgetting the suffering of Africa.

They said they ultimately wanted to leave the island, though they realised that settling in another country was becoming increasingly difficult.

Ultimately, their biggest fear is facing deportation back to their home countries.

All of them claim they were persecuted by the regimes of their countries and had no choice but to flee for their lives. They know that their pleas for understanding often fall on deaf ears.

The illegal immigrants claimed they were being paid a pittance for any work they carried out and one young man insisted he often argued with his employers to get his wage.

A number of them maintained they were constantly being harshly treated by bar owners, who seemed bent on barring them from their establishments.