Labour MP slams ‘stewpot’ multiculturalism in Facebook rant over integration policy

Labour backbencher Etienne Grech has come out as an opponent of “multiculturalism” at a time when the government led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is carrying out a national debate for an integration policy.

Grech, a GP whose Facebook wall is a tribune for some major political announcements, uploaded a news item from inewsmalta.com reporting that a McDonalds security officer had whipped two young teenagers with his belt. It was reported that the man was “possibly of Arabic extraction”, but the man was unidentified.

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National integration policy MALTA

The news was disconcerting enough for Grech to post a general rant on immigration:

“I prefer those migrants who integrate and adopt our culture, and not to have a multicultural country. Our culture should prevail. Look at what happens when a migrant’s culture is that of belting kids… something that has long been removed from our culture, with the exception of a handful of aggressive dads.”

Malta removed its reservations on the Convention of the Rights of the Child ban on corporal punishment only in 2014.

But what is Grech’s idea of integration? As his Facebook followers joined in the ensuing ‘debate’, the MP weighed in yet again:

“The problem is that people don’t understand this integration… when you cannot get rid of foreigners in your country for various reasons (maybe because they married a Maltese wife)… they live by their own culture and demand another mosque and their own shops. If you teach them to adopt our culture, including having the crucifix in our classrooms, that is integration policy…”

And again, in another comment to the debate, Grech said Malta was “no stewpot” for different cultures.

“My sister lives in Australia, speaks to their children in English and goes by their rules. If they can do that in Australia, then we can preserve our Maltese culture in Malta.”