It does not take much today: within minutes, the Ħal Far riot was all over social media, photos included. And the usual exaggerations – that 1,000 migrants had rioted (it turned out there were some 300); that some police officers had been hurt (later downscaled to just one, and slightly).

Even so, the country was shocked to the core, and it remained traumatized even the next day when the picture got clearer: the sight of burned-out cars, damage to the AWAS centre and the wanton destruction of files and reports.

Then the police anti-riot squad moved in and extricated those believed to have been the ringleaders, who were later arraigned in court.

In true Maltese fashion, the buses with those to be arraigned were parked in front of the Law Courts, just as had happened a few Christmases ago with the Libyan hijackers. And those arraigned were trooped in with handcuffs, and some barefoot.

This part of the Maltese state’s reaction was well-planned and well-handled, with minimum fuss, no rough-housing and decorum. The rule of law triumphed. There was no knee-jerk reaction.

Thus the riot fizzled out. This was quite a different outcome to that faced by those who were arrested during Grand Master Pinto’s magistracy following the Conspiracy of the Slaves. Those found guilty were paraded around the same streets on their way to a cruel death.

But this is 2019 and the Maltese population is easily shocked and is quickly learning we cannot underestimate the risks and dangers. A report recently said that one of the most feared member of the so-called ‘Islamic State’ terror group, who beheaded many in IS-held cities in Syria, had been in Malta but was found to be an illegal migrant from Italy and expelled. He somehow made his way to Hungary where his real identity and bloody past were discovered.

That such a riot could occur just because a drunk migrant was not allowed to enter the centre in his state is a sign of the fragility of the whole system.

The more we examine the Ħal Far situation, the more alarmed we become. We know that the sheer number of migrants pulled out of the sea has brought the situation to an extremely dangerous level. There used to be other centres when the numbers got too large but they seem to have been closed up.

The AWAS numbers were extremely inadequate and the migrants, too, have been complaining about conditions at the camp, including the bad food, the rats and general neglect.

It has also been reported that, following the riot, provision of food has stopped and the migrants are being fed by some NGOs or given spending money. The situation is inadequate either way.

Earlier on, I praised the measured reaction by the police, but I was referring to the next day. On the day, or rather the night, of the riot, there seems to have been an inadequate number of police officers around and it took, it seems, far too long for reinforcements to reach the scene. It was only the next day that properly equipped police made an appearance and brooked no opposition.

But we must go beyond the immediate and analyse the antecedents of the riot. Ever since the Malta meeting, some weeks ago, those rescued from the sea, whether in Malta’s SAR area or not, seem to have been brought to Malta (it is true, however, that landings have continued to take place on Lampedusa).

This situation has led to a steep increase of migrants in Malta supposedly waiting to be parcelled out among a few EU countries. But this is a long process in the best of times and now the paperwork has been destroyed. The end result is that the numbers at Ħal Far will keep growing, making a bad situation worse.

It is high time for the government to bring the situation to the attention of its EU partners. Malta cannot become the recipient of the other members’ unwanted migrants. If this situation persists, Malta must prepare itself for more drastic measures. There is such a term as ‘numerus clausus’ and Malta has reached this long ago, also considering the open door policy it follows with regard to migrants coming in from Sicily.

After this fracas, the police seem to have been offered more cars and/or equipment. I for one would feel far safer in my own country if the police were more numerous, better equipped and trained and ready for any eventuality.

And, generally speaking, I would feel far safer if the courts started delivering more adequate penalties rather than the limp suspended sentences we often read about.

Last week, I complained of the huge amount of hate speech on the comment spaces. Now the minister, at some delay, has announced a special unit to combat hate speech and even showed us a new office. Recruitment is still some way off but there is a huge uphill slog to curb the excesses and get the population to accept that there must be some controls lest we return to an unacceptable past.

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