When national security takes precedence over human and civil rights, society is on a very slippery slope. In some countries, this has led to the arrest of journalists and activists. In others it has resulted in citizens losing their right to privacy.
Before this week’s casual election to fill in the seat vacated by European Commissioner Karmenu Vella, Robert Henry Bugeja was a nobody on the political scene. But his xenophobe outburst on Facebook made it to the news pages.
In his latest Facebook tirade, Bugeja urged people not to donate to the annual charity fundraiser l-Istrina, claiming the money will be spent on “supporting illegal migration.”
This is the only the latest in a series of racist outbursts we’ve had from government and Labour’s ranks apart from Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s threat to push migrants back to Libya without granting them the right to apply for asylum coming only 18 months ago.
