Shocking reactions to a shocking death

The news that an immigrant died while under the custody of the Armed Forces of Malta is shocking, but what is more shocking is some people's reaction to it.

I will not delve into the circumstances of the death itself since that will be established by the the on-going inquiry and court case, though there is little I can imagine which might justify a hand-cuffed man being kicked and beaten to death.

But the reaction of an unfortunately large section of the population does merit our attention.

First of all, the simple fact that the accused are Maltese like us while the victim is not, does not justify a petition doing the rounds calling for their release. No, justice needs to take this course because a human life is a human life no matter its colour.

Secondly, how hard the soldiers have it with illegal immigrants, that the victim was a fugitive, and that the soldiers were during a day of work, does not justify the use of excessive violence in the least. And unfortunately, this is not the first time in recent years when accusations of the police or the army using excessive force have surfaced. Wearing a uniform does not give you a free rein to use violence with anyone you like (or rather, don't like).

This is a very important principle in a free democracy, because the next guy facing an accusation, maybe a false one, could be you. And you don't want to beaten, tortured or forced into a confession when you are not guilty. Unless you'd rather live in a police-state.

Having said that, the wrong-doings of a few members of our security forces should not mar the good and dedicated work done by the rest.

Thirdly, it is quite revealing that we witness outcries, protests and calls for the death penalty when a dog is killed, while we either stay silent or worse, come up with all sorts of justifications when the victim is a human being (see a previous related blog-post). It does quite show our distorted morals.

Lastly, I don't think now is the most responsible time for Dr. Joseph Muscat to appeal for the country to be strong on migration. I don't think now is the time for him to declare that he stands by his 2009 proposals, which included the suspension of our international obligations and letting people drown. On the contrary, at such a time, those populist declarations should be stinging his conscience.