Migrants Solidarity hits out at government, AFM over pushed back Somalis
The Migrants Solidarity Movement has joined a number of other organisations and has voiced its concern and empathy with the asylum seekers who tried to make the journey from Libya last Saturday and were returned to Libya.
24 July 2010, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
The movement expressed its sadness “that the Maltese government, fails to see the disgrace of this incidence and the irresponsibility of the AFM.”
“What happened was not only completely out of line with international law and obligation but also a disgrace,” the movement said, adding that “the AFM who claim to patrol the Maltese waters for any emergency which should arise, failed to live up to their duty by letting the asylum seekers be sent back to Libya.”
The Migrants Solidarity Movement stressed that Libya is not a safe port for asylum seekers as it is not a signatory to the Geneva Convention for refugees, while the UNHCR office has also recently been closed, “clearly showing that asylum-seekers are far from respected and given their rights within this country.”
The movement stressed that no asylum seeker in his “right mind” would want to venture back to Libya, clearly showing that people were taken back against their will.
Not only did this incidence separate the whole group of people travelling together but sadly separated a husband and pregnant wife, surely an atrocious thing for both parts, owning to mental and emotional detriment.
“The Maltese government seems to forget that we are not dealing with cargo but with people, in this case all of them Somalis,” the movement said, adding that Somalia has been undergoing civil war for the last 20 years and civilians have a right to leave and seek refuge in a safe country.
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Just to make things clear: The people at Migrants Solidarity Movement are neither 'leeches' nor 'moochers' but are all qualified graduates, in the field of anthropology, sociology and psychology. Also artists and university lecturers are part of the movement. One shouldn't blame a group like us for being free-thinking and respecting human rights but should look at themselves and ask why they don't see such an incident as a disgrace. And to get facts right- The immigrants who enter Malta in this case Somalis have every right to be taken to a safe port where they can apply for asylum- which they can't do in Libya.
www.migrantsmalta.org
Ann Bugeja
President
Migrants Solidarity Movement
Alfred Galea •
Who are the "Migrants Solidarity Movement"?? Are they the usual freeloaders, leeches and moochers living off the avails of illegal immigrants and their human traffickers??
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The disgrace is on the migrants solidarity movement because first of all they are not migrants but illegal economic immigrants and secondly Malta does not need migrants especially illegal immigrants because we are the most overpopulated resourceless country in Europe. To deny this is to deny the truth.
Lino Bonett •
@Tony. Most Germans loved Hitler in fact they voted for him. Were they right?
Raymond Falzon •
Have a look at the TOM poll to see waqht people really think
