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Paola Church School Headmaster In Facebook Rant Against Foreigners

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The headmaster of a primary and secondary church school in Paola has gone on a Facebook rant against immigrants in Malta. 

In his status, which was leaked to Lovin Malta, Kenneth Vella cited recent crimes committed by immigrants and said he has grown concerned about his daughter’s safety.

“A Somali caught selling drugs, an Albanian suspected of committing a major robbery, Syrians raping underage girls, Serbs involved in fights and vandalism, Libyans accused of fighting each other, Romanians begging, and Bulgarians stealing. Your honour, if this is the modern, progressive and cosmopolitan Malta then I would rather my daughter live in the antiquated version of it.”

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Speaking to Lovin Malta, Vella said he condemns all types of violence and crime, regardless of whether the perpetrators are Maltese or foreign. Indeed, he said he posted such a statement on the discussion thread below that particular status.

“I was commenting in my capacity as a father who is worried with how criminality in Malta has increased in recent months,” he said. “I believe Malta, like other countries, is not as safe as it used to be in the past.”

“I invite anyone who questions my integrity as headmaster to spend a day with me at school, and see whether I instil in my students a sense of love, respect and solidarity towards others. In recent years, as head of my school, I took many initiatives – not only to give a quality education to my students but also fundraising activities for people in need, Maltese and foreigners alike. This can be confirmed by all stakeholders.”

“I’m not a racist and I’m disappointed that a Facebook comment between friends taken out of context to give the wrong impression of the work I truly carry out. I ask whether the majority of Maltese are also worried about security and criminality in the country.” 

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One of the people commenting on Vella’s status warned such comments were unbefitting of a headmaster and questioned why he didn’t kick up a similar storm over crimes committed by Maltese people. 

“Do you know how many cases are of abuse in Maltese families are reported to Appogg?” she asked. “Do you think no Maltese man has ever sexually abused his nephew, committed a hold-up, got into a fight in Paceville or vandalised our cultural heritage? Do you have no problem with these incidents because the perpetrators are Maltese?”

Screenshots of Vella’s Facebook wall sent to Lovin Malta indicate a clear concern about immigration. In August, he sarcastically wrote “Making Malta Great” while sharing a Net News story which claimed a drunk Ivorian man had shouted “Allahu Akbar” at a funeral rite in Marsa. The report was later debunked as false by one of the deceased man’s own relatives.

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The Secretariat for Catholic Education later e-mailed Lovin Malta to disassociate itself from Vella’s Facebook status, which has since been removed.

“Reflecting the Christian ethos, educators are continuously encouraged to promote tolerance and respect, irrespective of one’s religion or nationality,” a Church spokesperson said.

Do you think these comments are befitting of Vella’s role as headmaster? Let us know in the comments below

READ NEXT: New Map Reveals Europe’s Racial Bias And Guess Which Extreme Malta Was On

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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