Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stressed the importance of collaboration and community amid rising fears of growing antagonism between nationalities.

Only last weekend, Ivorian Lassana Cisse was killed in a drive-by shooting that left two others injured.

Muscat insisted that he would not be “dragged into the narrative” that the crime was racially motivated and that he would wait for the outcome of the police investigation.

While correct, it should also be noted that there a number of indicators that it was at least a random attack on an area populated with migrants, with the victims found some distance away from one another.

“If we focus on theories we are playing into the hands of those who want to spread hate,” Muscat said.

Muscat, who was speaking after a press event at Aurobindo in Hal-Far, pointed to the company as an example of how both foreign and local enterprise and employees can come together and collaborate successfully.

“If we do not work together then the investment will go somewhere else.”

In regards to Triq tal-Ġebel, the road where the murder took place, a community leader recently told Lovin Malta that they were very much aware of the road, with crimes having occurred against migrants on the road as far back as five years ago.
“It is dangerous for migrants,” he said.

Asked on these reports of migrants feeling unsafe in the Hal-Far area and the government’s intentions to tackle the issue, Muscat said: “We do not value human life according to nationality.”.

He explained that just as much as they addressed Marsa residents’ concerns over safety in the area, it was the government and police’s duty to address the reports.

“If someone is in danger it is our duty to protect them, ” Muscat said.

Mars has been a focal point on the migration issue with residents expressing fears over a perception in rising crime, while the migrant community has been previously alleged to be subject to racial profiling from police officers.

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Julian Bonnici

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.