Five in court over Safi detention centre riot

● Government MP calls for a more ‘hardline’ approach

Five detainees at Safi barracks have appeared in court accused of rioting after a largely peaceful protest turned violent.

The incident, which took place on Wednesday, started after detainees had begun to protest inside the centre demanding their release. News reports say the situation appears to have been worse than previous incidents, with members of the Police Force at the scene throughout the night.

AFM soldiers had been on standby to intervene if the situation escalated.

Yesterday afternoon, Abdul Latif Ali Sherif, 29, Ismaile Idris, 25 Njumi Mohamed,30, Oshieko Noor Alameen, 26, Hassan Mohammed Hassan, 30, all from Sudan appeared before magistrate Simone Grech, charged with unlawful assembly with public violence, while armed, forming a tumultuous assembly, disobeying orders for dispersion, causing damage worth over €2,500, making threats against public officers, carrying a weapon during the commission of a crime. They were also charged with breaching the peace.

In court yesterday, prosecuting police inspector Trevor Micallef said that, amongst other things, the five had pulled a large gate off its hinges and used it to climb up containers “and shout that they want freedom.”

“The more journalists there, the better for them,” said the inspector.

Riots were becoming a daily occurrence, he explained, adding that, “because they don’t know any better, they smashed the place up.”

The men had taken up metal objects, knives and other makeshift weapons to challenge security forces, the inspector went on.

Defence lawyer Victor Bugeja entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of the men, but did not request bail. The five men were remanded in custody.

Commenting about the riots, Labour MP Robert Abela said the time has come for a more “hardline” approach on migrants who cause unrest while being kept in detention.

Writing on Facebook, Abela referred to the protest which, he said, “contrasted with the hospitality that we always showed when we welcomed them in our country”.

Abela said Malta always honoured its commitments and did so with compassion and solidarity. “But experience is showing that the time has come for a more hardline position.”

Taking a leaf out of former Italian Minister Matteo Salvini’s book – the Lega leader speaks of defending the security of Italians first – Abela said that the first priority should be that the Maltese and Gozitans feel “tranquil, comfortable in our culture and safe in our country”.