I was shocked to the core, last week, as I watched the Lifeline enter Grand Harbour.

At first, I thought that a harbour cruise boat had somehow found itself in the middle. Then, a split second later, I realized it was the Lifeline.

I could not believe this was the ship which had carried more than 200 refugees for five days on stormy seas. I would not venture on that boat between Malta and Gozo, except on very calm days. It reminded me of the Bancinu or the Queen of Peace.

Five days on stormy seas while the great and the powerful bickered and argued and issued blanket declarations on who did not want them to land and what conditions were made to allow a small portion of them in this or that country.

Today, the countries of Europe are ruled by populists and any mention of a refugee is like waving a red rag to a bull. Europe is being depopulated as its population ages. There will be need for more man power in future years. But don’t tell this to the populists: for them what matters is repatriating the refugees as fast as they can round them up.

The great and the mighty of Europe met twice in one week. At the first restricted meeting on Sunday, no agreement was reached. Then at the full Council on Thursday night, agreement was reached at 5am the next day. Two days later, the agreement is already unravelling.

Originally, the plan was to set up processing centres in the countries the refugees were departing from. But when Matteo Salvini, the Italian firebrand now deputy prime minister, went to Libya, this was ruled out by the Libyan authorities he met. (I could not believe Salvini could be so naïve when he was shown around a model detention centre with gleaming unused beds and wardrobes – has he ever seen Potemkin Express?)

The next brainwave by the Europeans was to site the processing centres in non-EU countries like Albania or even Tunisia. Again, nothing doing.

So on Thursday night the European leaders bickered and argued all night long and finally agreed the processing centres could be in those EU countries who volunteered. Only the new boy on the block, Italy’s Conte, rejoiced at the deal. The others kept their heads down. In recent hours, Malta said, if I understood correctly, that it cannot have a processing centre.

Meanwhile more refugees are taking to the boats, whatever the risk. A tragedy took place outside Tripoli. Another boat was rescued and Salvini decreed it was nearer Malta than Italy, which, as Malta undiplomatically told him, was a lie.

However, this processing idea is not a bad idea at all. It introduces a method, a system, a sifting between economic migrants and real refugees. Some states, like Germany, have been doing it on their own after first allowing more than a million into the country. Other countries, Italy among them, simply open the gates and wish them good luck. Then the refugees run amok not just in Italy but anywhere they can go and mayhem ensues.

This, I suggest, is not what the NGOs fished them out of the water for. Nor is it right, I say, to create a new level of sub-proletariat and allow them to live in derelict buildings or even out on the streets.

I, and so many others, have serious doubts on the ethics of leaving men, women and children for days on a small tub. And I also doubt the ethics of closing ports to ships that have rescued people from death. But maybe as bad as leaving people to die in the sea, is to allow such people in and then letting them fend for themselves or turn to crime.

We are woefully lacking in figures: how many Lifeline refugees are still in Malta? How many people are still there in the closed centres? How many people has Malta taken in and how many of them are working on a regular basis or studying?

Sooner or later, Malta too will have its xenophobic fringe or party. I suggest, from the experience of other countries, that xenophobia and populism are bred when a situation is left without a solution, and when there is no clear information available.

 

[email protected]