Lowell to run for MEP, vows to ‘push back migrants’

Far-rightist Norman Lowell today announced his candidature for the forthcoming European Parliament elections, vowing to "steer Europe in a new direction and make Malta its spiritual centre".

This will be the third time Lowell is contesting the European elections following two dismal performances in the previous two elections. Lowell first contested the European Parliament elections in 2004, obtaining 1,603 first-count votes and in the following round in, 2009, he received 3,559 votes, or 1% of the vote.

The far-right movement Imperium Europa will be fielding at least two candidates, with Antoine Galea being the other candidate apart from Lowell. However, Lowell said that the movement would be fielding more candidates which will be announced at a later stage.

"We will reveal them when nominations open, to spare them unnecessary flak from the controlled media," Lowell said, saying that Imperium Europa would employ "Sun Tzu war tactics" and "take everyone by surprise."

Unsurprisingly, Lowell's campaign is centred on anti-migration sentiments. He warned that Malta "will be destroyed" unless drastic action is taken on a European level, and accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of "encouraging illegal migration" by praising the army's efforts in saving migrants at sea.

Lowell added that Muscat, who himself has faced accusations of taking a hawkish stand on migration following his failed attempt to push back migrants to Libya, was being taken for a ride by the European Union on migration. "The Prime Minister not only is being taken for a ride, but he is actually enjoying it," Lowell said.

Shooting down the two major parties' call for mandatory burden sharing, Lowell insisted that the only effective measure to address migration was to repatriate all migrants to their country of origin.

Pointing out that migration was being encouraged by government, Lowell likened it to the increase of single mothers whom he accused of having a low IQ

"By saving them at sea, Malta is encouraging migration. If, and when we are elected, we will repatriate them. We will not send them to other European countries. We will resolutely push them back," he said.  

Far-right and populist parties elsewhere in Europe are making big inroads all over the continent, with French MP Marine Le Pen's Front National and Dutch MP Geert Wilders's Party for Freedom leading the polls in France and the Netherlands respectively.

However, Lowell distanced himself from Le Pen and Wilders and said that his movement would align itself with the banned Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn and other far-right parties across Europe.

Despite ultra nationalistic and populist parties prospered amidst crisis in countries like Austria, France, the Netherlands, Greece and the UK, it seems unlikely that Lowell's Imperium Europa will reach similar levels of support. Unlike many European countries, the Maltese electorate has so far kept its faith in the established political class and xenophobic and racist voters are habitually absorbed by the two established parties.

Asked for his take on the controversial citizenship scheme which will allow wealthy foreigners to obtain a Maltese passport by investing €1.15 million, Lowell said that he opposed the sale of Maltese passports and alluded to an invasion of Jewish oligarchs.

Going off on a tangent, Lowell compared the situation to post-Soviet Russia which he said sold off its riches to 300 families, alluding at a Jewish conspiracy to take over the country's vast riches. "Who do you think will come to Malta? It will be the same people," he said, adding that African migrants were taking Maltese people's  jobs, raping women and spreading AIDS while rich people will take over the media and the country's resources.

"Maltese people will end up sandwiched like a sausage. We do not want to put Malta up for sale," he said.

Lowell's fellow Imperium Europa candidate, Antoine Galea, also addressed the event. A Lowell clone, Galea explained that migration was "damaging working conditions and the property market".

Mimicking Lowell's distinctive pose and tone, Galea said: "I'm very proud to contest the elections on Imperium Europa's ticket and soon strong group of staunch patriots will be formed in Brussels."

In his concluding remarks, Galea added that Malta needed "ideological" MEPs and not "career politicians", before following Lowell's example and making a Roman salute.