[WATCH] Crowds gather to protest against illegal immigration

Maltese 'patriots' protest against irregular migration

Crowds of Maltese people marched from Floriana to Castille to protest against illegal immigration. Protestors waved Maltese flags and lifted up placards with slogans such as ‘Hands off our country’, ‘Our children’s future is under threat’, and ‘Multiculturalism, no thank you’. Another placard read ‘Malmstrom, hands off Malta’, referring to outgoing European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom.

The protest was organised by the self-proclaimed Ghaqda Patrijotti Maltin (Organisation of Maltese Patriots).

“We are not racist. It’s not the colour of their skin that we’re worried about,” Alex Pisani from the organisaiton told MaltaToday. “Malta simply doesn’t have enough resources to continue dealing with flows of illegal immigration.

“Also, some of the immigrants might be infected by some sickness or come from a terror group.”

“Our Maltese identity is under threat, not only from illegal immigrants but from European ones too,” Pisani said. “We live in Malta. Why should we have to speak English to a foreign waiter when we go out to eat?”

"We have a long way to go yet but eventually we'll be victorious," Pisani told the crowd, right after announcing plans for a similar protest in the future. "If needs be, we'll even give up our blood for this cause."

However, Pisani did not allow this newspaper to speak to people from the crowd.

“A lot of people here aren’t competent enough to comment,” he explained.

It appears as though all the protestors abided by the organisers' 10 protest rules that included "no one can use the words 'blacks' or 'suwed'" and "No one can pass comments against the government of the day".