[WATCH] Muscat warns against ‘lockdown’ in wake of Paris attack

PM Muscat says the terrorist acts in Paris did not only target France but is tantamount to an attack on “Europe and the civilised world.”

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the indiscriminate terrorist acts in Paris did not only target France but is tantamount to an attack on “Europe and the civilised world.”

However, he said people should not change their lifestyle or go into lockdown mode as this would be a victory for the terrorists.

“We should not allow terrorists to deny us our freedoms,” he said during a press conference in Valletta. While expressing his solidarity with the French Government, Muscat insisted that the freedom of movement, is one of the fundamental rights in the European Union.

Confirming that so far there is no report of Maltese citizens among the victims and injured, Muscat said Malta was under no security threat and confirmed that the CHOGM event scheduled for the end of the month would go ahead as planned. Moreover, the suspension of Schengen which was due to end today has been extended by a week.

He said that following the Paris attack, he ordered the security services, police, and armed forces to review security measures and informed that there is no tangible security threat against Malta.

PM said that if any suspect arises, he himself will advise the public of everything.

Noting that this was confirmed by foreign secret services and “our allies,” Muscat said “although there’s no threat against Malta we believe that we should be cautious and take all necessary precautions.” He added that security measures in strategic places had been beefed up.

Warning against alarmism, Muscat called on everyone to be alert while ensuring that “we must not fall in the trap of changing our lifestyle.”

Insisting that he would never compromise the country’s security, Muscat said criticism of zealous security measures taken during the Valletta Summit proved incorrect in the light of the Paris attacks.

Muscat said that the Charlie Hebdo attack last January, shows that we cannot speculate that the terrorists came from people on the outside.

He believes that this attack will have its repercussions on the migration crisis discussion within the European Union.

PM claimed that this will somehow effect the thrust in the Schengen Treaty.

Asked whether the French President will still be attending the CHOGM meeting next week, Muscat said it was still premature to say.

‘The world must unite against terrorism’ – Busuttil

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said that terrorism must be fought on both a European and global level.

“No country can fight terrorism by itself, and we must all unite against it,” he said in a brief speech, while expressing solidarity with the people of France.

He added that there is no immediate reason for concern about the state of Malta’s security, and called on the government to ensure that Malta’s security is in no way compromised before, during and after the upcoming CHOGM.