Valentine's Day protest outside detention centre in solidarity with Malian migrants

A group of activists are organising a silent gathering outside the Safi detention centre in solidarity with the nine Malian migrants who are being detained there ahead of their planned deportation.

The protest will be held in the evening of 14 February, in what will mark the third month since the migrants were rounded up and detained.

It is being organised jointly by the aditus Foundation, Moviment Graffitti, Integra Foundation, JRS and the Critical Institute.

It will be the first action since a group of activists and academics launched the ‘Free the Nine’ campaign to pressure the authorities into releasing the migrants.

The nine Malians are the remaining few of a total of 33 co-nationals who were detained on 16 November last year, as part of a joint EU programme which saw the EU sign a deal with Mali to provide funds to Mali in return for its agreement to accept failed asylum seekers and aid in fighting human smuggler.

The group of migrants – some of whom have been living in Malta for the past eight years – used to regularly report to the police headquarters to get their papers renewed. However, on this day, they appeared for their appointment to renew their documents, only to end up being detained and taken to the detention centre with plans to deport them.

Four of them were later released following a review carried out by the Office of the Refugee Commissioner. In December, a further 15 migrants were released, followed by another four.