After shipwreck, self-styled ‘patriot’ is worried about Ebola-infected fish

Following the news that a shipwreck off the Libyan coast claimed the lives of over 500 migrants, the president of the self-proclaimed ‘Ghaqda Patrijotti Maltin’ (Organisation of Maltese Patriots) took to Facebook to warn that fish could eat the bodies of the dead migrants, who could be infected by Ebola.

“This makes you wonder how many lampuki will eat [the corpses],”Alex Pisani, 61, wrote. “These lampuki will end up on the plates of Maltese people. What if one of [the migrants] was infected with Ebola or some other illness? I won’t even consider eating more fish!”

Pisani hails from Valletta and owns a confectionery.

As president of his organization Pisani has spearheaded two protests in Valletta against irregular immigration. In the second protest, he warned that Malta could become a Muslim state within the next 20 years.
“The people don’t yet know what integration means, it is like giving people full citizenship rights,” Pisani said. “These people will then also be able to bring their family members over. At this rate, we expect Malta to become an African or Muslim state within the next 20 years. Islam is slowly taking over Europe, but we have one religion- Catholicism, and we are proud of it.”

He also claimed that Malta does not have enough resources, including water, to deal with immigration flows. However, he denied being a racist as he is “not fighting for his skin colour but for his Maltese identity”.
Last night, a vessel carrying "between 500 and 700 migrants" capsized  around 120 miles south of Lampedusa, according to the Italian coastguard. The BBC reports that the emergency was declared some time around midnight and rescuers are now hurrying to the scene.

During the night, the Malta Armed Forces were asked to assist an Italian search-and-rescue mission off the Libyan coast. Reports state that a merchant ship came across the boat towards midnight and tried to carry out a rescue. However, the migrants panicked as they hadn't recognized that the vessel was there to help them. They rocked the boat with movement, and it overturned.

Reports state that only 50 migrants have survived and that bodies are floating around them. The AFM are currently assisting the Italians in rescuing those migrants who survived.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described the shipwreck as the "worst tragedy in the Mediterranean in recent years".

"We have to solve this problem, even in our country where people tend to consider these people as blacks (suwed), and not give them enough attention," Muscat said at the beginning of his speech during a political activity to celebrate the Labour Party's local council election victory.

"Children men, and women have died. Although we are seeing encouraging signs from European politicians, action must be taken. There is a tragedy going on in the Mediterranean. A time will come when Europe will be judged as harshly for its inaction as it was judged when it had turned a blind eye to genocide.

In his political activity speech, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil also warned that a “tragedy” in unfolding in the Mediterranean. He appealed the government to give its assistance and ensure that as many lives as possible could be saved. He also urged the government to secure talks with the EU, and pledged his support to such talks.