“I made sure I replied to each and every one of them because that sort of warmth and sympathy was initially what I was expecting when I was moving my life to Malta.”

Indeed, Amr, who is half German and half Egyptian, wanted an opportunity to talk about everything he loved about the island after having to leave it.

“In hindsight, I do wish I had mentioned some of the positive things that happened to me whilst in Malta, as in no shape or form did I intend to demonise the country or the entire Maltese population. I realise it might have inadvertently seemed like that. I discovered some favourite spots on the island like Blue Grotto, Valletta and Gozo and I created some unforgettable positive memories,” he said. 

“Despite the many aggressive encounters of at least 20 in three months, I have also met some lovely people, both locals and foreigners like myself who moved to the island. I can also say that in that short visit I made great friendships with four Maltese people. I was invited to their homes and their genuineness is something I will always treasure,” he continued.

Interestingly, Maltese people who had also been told to go back to their country – even though they are Maltese – reached out to Amr as well.

“I am not a psychoanalyst so I am not qualified to give an explanation,” Amr points out. “My Maltese friends feel that this is a growing problem with Malta, according to them triggered by the huge influx of foreigners who are crowding Malta together with the immense traffic and construction everywhere.”

“Also, another theory was that some Maltese people do not like it when they try to start an argument and are then challenged with a smart, calm and polite reply. So they resort to sending you back to your country. Maybe its a mix of both these theories,” he shrugged.

“But rest assured that I do not want to generalise.”

“I know there are also Maltese people who can be amazing friends and who are very welcoming. But those who treat foreigners like a monetising item which they can use and dispose of, these ones are harming Malta’s reputation and that is why I accepted to tell my story,” he said.

Watch Amr speak about his experience in an interview recorded in 2019:

Amr is humbled and warmed by the fact that so many Maltese people reached out with positive messages to him – but he is still hurt by the way he was treated in Malta.

“What I find sad was that some found my story unbelievable – bluntly denying that it ever happens in Malta, or that I was seeking fame or that I was paid to do this gig to cause a bad reputation to Malta. Ironically if they read the language and ‘advice’ posted online in the comments section they would realise how right I am, that there is a section of Maltese society that does not think twice before insulting a foreigner,” he pointed out. 

“Make no mistake I still think what happened to me is totally unjustified and unacceptable. It should never be okay to tell a foreigner in any civilised country to go back to his or her country when no provocation whatsoever is made.”

And to anyone who believes the reason people were rude to him were because of his dog Percy, he is clear.

“Not only do I clean up after Percy but I even carry a bottle of water to clean up his urine on the streets. I never saw anyone else in Malta do that,” he said.

“Percy is a super gentle, very disciplined and loving dog. Here in Amsterdam, I am stopped every day in the street by strangers who ask to pet him and sometimes I struggle to continue my walk because strangers want to spend more than a few seconds with him.”

Moving forward, Amr is taking the positives with the negatives and is heartened that there are so many kind and generous Maltese people out there.

“Maybe in my case, I was simply very unlucky, like a lovely Maltese person I am happy to have met said to me after learning about my encounters, I know that those things do happen, but I never thought they can all happen to one person in such a short time,” he ended.

What do you think of Amr’s experience after leaving the island?