Watch: Bernard Grech Is ‘Borderline Racist And Xenophobic’, Equality Secretary Warns
Bernard Grech’s rhetoric against foreign workers is “borderline racist and xenophobic”, Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rebecca Buttigieg has claimed.
On ONE Radio’s Sibt il-Punt last weekend, Buttigieg tore into the PN’s call for Malta to curb its population and flagged certain conflicting messages from some of its main exponents.
“On the one hand, you have Bernard Grech, whose speeches are borderline racist and xenophobic, and I say this with the utmost responsibility,” she said.
“He speaks with so much hatred against these people that he is creating a very populistic sentiment that is stirring a certain public hatred against these people, who have ultimately come here to live and contribute among us. If he kicks them out, what will we do with our elderly, our healthcare system and our hospitality system?”
Although Grech has never said that foreign workers should be kicked out, he has said they should be forced to leave if they fail a basic Maltese test after a year living in the country.
Buttigieg went on to criticise PN MP Ivan Castillo over his recent statement that Malta’s population should be brought back to 2012 levels.
“Over 50,000 EU citizens have moved here since 2012, and thanks to the EU accession law that the PN boasts about so much, they cannot be kicked out. There are also 20,000 more Maltese people, so will the PN tell them they need to find a new place to live because we need to curb our population?”
“Meanwhile, Ivan Bartolo has said he wants to create 60,000 new jobs in eight years, but who will take up those jobs? Will all the Maltese have so many babies that there will be enough people to take up 60,000 jobs in eight years?”
What do you make of Rebecca Buttigieg’s warning?
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