[WATCH] Meet the patriots who fear Muslim takeover of Malta

Meet the patriots who claim Malta will be taken over by Muslims • Video: Ray Attard

Malta could become a Muslim state within the next 20 years, according to Alex Pisani, the president of the self-declared Organisation of Maltese Patriots (Ghaqda Patrijotti Maltin).

“The people don’t yet know what integration means, it is like giving people full citizenship rights,” Pisani said. “These people will then also be able to bring their family members over. At this rate, we expect Malta to become an African or Muslim state within the next 20 years. Islam is slowly taking over Europe, but we have one religion- Catholicism, and we are proud of it.”

He was speaking right before the organisation’s second anti-immigration protest on Saturday morning, this time with a specific emphasis on their perceived problems brought about by integration with foreign cultures.

Pisani, 61, of Valletta, and the owner of a confectionery, again denied being a racist.

“I’m not fighting for my skin colour but for my Maltese identity,” he explained.

However, when asked, he said that British immigrants are not problematic to Malta because ‘they have managed to integrate’.

He also claimed that Malta does not have enough resources, including water, to deal with immigration flows.

“We don’t have enough water for all these mouths to drink,” Pisani said.

Only around 50 people, most of whom were middle-aged or elderly, took part in the protest march from Floriana to Castille, shouting chants such as ‘Malta is for Maltese, not foreigners’, ‘No for integration, without consultation,’ and ‘Jobs for the Maltese, not for foreigners’. A few British people also took part in the protest and two young children were strategically placed at the front of the march. Protestors waved placards with slogans such as ‘Malta is a small, vulnerable island’, ‘United Nations help us too please’ and ‘Update human rights’.

“Where is the crib and baby Jesus?” protestors shouted out as they marched through Republic Street that is being decorated for Christmas.

“This is your future we’re fighting for,” Pisani told onlookers. “You should be ashamed of yourselves for not uniting with us in this protest.”

The protest ended outside Castille, with Pisani praising the cheering crowd for being “true patriots” and criticising the people who only share their anti-immigration views on Facebook.

“Many people comment against immigration on Facebook, but they are too afraid to show their faces in the streets,” Pisani said, while declaring his support for the far-right British political parties United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the English Defence League (EDL).

When asked whether his support for such parties means that he is in favour of Malta leaving the European Union, Pisani said that it will work out well for Malta as “we have become puppets of the EU.”

Meanwhile, Henry Battistino from the same organisation criticised political parties and the media.

“Neither party had spoken about integration before the general elections,” he said. “Where is the media? Are they too focused on the Eurovision?”

The protest concluded with Pisani inviting a protestor to the steps of Castille to say a few words. The man began talking about ‘blacks’ but was quickly cut off by Pisani.

“Call them foreigners or immigrants,” Pisani advised.