A Sliema problem, a nationwide concern

The savage beating of a politician’s son has shone a spotlight on the problems faced by Sliema residents and shopkeepers in the Bisazza Street and Tigne Point areas.

While this is not the first time that young people have gotten into fights, while out entertaining themselves, the problem in this particular area of Sliema has a defined character—a group of rich Libyan youths engaging in anti-social behaviour that is causing distress, damage to public and private property and now, posing a threat to life and limb.

It is a fact that in the aftermath of the Libyan revolution in 2011, many well-off Libyan families relocated to Malta with many taking up residence at Tigne Point. There is now a second generation of young people in this community, who were born and raised in Malta.

We may choose to close our eyes in the name of political correctness to the problems the Sliema community is facing. We may choose to avoid mentioning the fact that there is a clearly defined concern coming from Libyan children and young people, who live in the area, so as not to offend the Libyan community. We may choose to write-off the problem as youthful folly. But doing so will only be papering over the cracks of what is evidently a broken system of integration.

For too long, the authorities have disregarded the importance of proper integration, even as the population of non-EU nationals increased rapidly in a short time span. Communities were left to their own devices as they grappled with a relatively new and growing phenomenon. The concerns of people in Marsa and Hamrun were often dismissed, even by those of us in the media, who brushed them off as ‘racist’ and ‘xenophobic’. Similarly, concerns raised by members of the LGBTIQ community about the homophobic attitudes of bouncers coming from Slavic countries, where gay rights are next to non-existent.

Fears remained unaddressed; anti-social behaviour was largely ignored and as a consequence, ordinary people, who do not harbour extreme views have become uncomfortable with foreigners in our midst. The concern is palpable, even if it is oftentimes based on misguided beliefs or second-hand impressions.

This leader is not meant to be a tirade against foreigners. Neither is it intended to foment hatred, prejudice or discrimination against the thousands of foreign nationals, who work and live in Malta—the vast majority are ordinary hard-working people, who are seeking better life prospects for themselves and their families. Instead, this leader is intended to cast a sober spotlight on what we feel is a widespread and growing preoccupation in a society that has been upended by rapid economic change that led to a population boom.

This country has a choice to make: Either stand down and close its eyes out of fear that identifying the problems and addressing them will offend certain communities; or stand up, acknowledge the difficulties and propose solutions that give all our communities, including foreigners, peace of mind. Standing down will only foment distrust, fear, anger and prejudice. It will eventually play into the hands of extremists.

The Sliema area around Tigne Point has a defined problem that traces its roots to the Libyan community there. Does this mean all Libyan young people are trouble makers? No. Does it mean the community should be ostracised? No; that would be the biggest mistake. Does it mean that all anti-social behaviour in Sliema is caused only by these Libyan youngsters? No.

But there have been way too many instances of problems being caused by this group. Action must be taken on several fronts.

Having a boy knocked out unconscious after a savage group beating is not acceptable and should carry criminal consequences. The police should use the full force of the law to charge those responsible. If these are children, who fall below the age of criminal responsibility, we should re-assess our laws. This does not mean children should be sent to prison but if serious crimes are being committed there should be adequate and proportionate consequences. And this applies across the board. We have had cases of serious school violence perpetrated by Maltese students on Maltese students, where the police’s hands were tied because of the age of the perpetrators.

But on a social level, the central authorities must step in to engage with the Libyan community in Sliema. The local council and community police cannot be left alone to deal with a problem that has been festering for too long. Professionally trained cultural mediators have to engage with the Libyan community—in this case—and help bridge the divide. This country does not need ghettos, whether poor or rich, that breed distrust and frustration.

This engagement, which can also target children while at school, is also preventive in nature since it tries to identify and address frustrations before these develop into detachment, anger and violence.

The Sliema community also needs a more visible presence of uniformed police officers, especially in known hotspots. Admittedly, the police cannot be everywhere, all the time. But the understanding that a police patrol can appear at any time is a good enough deterrent for many young people.

It is important that communities feel they are being listened to in situations like these. But more importantly is the need for a nationwide strategy to deal with the pressure points of a multicultural society. Combatting racism and xenophobia is a must. But while doing so, the concerns of ordinary people, who are neither racist nor xenophobic, must not be ignored.