Maltese authorities say they face an increase in racist sentiment among the country's population, with inflows of illegal immigrants turning the island into a large-scale "detention centre."
According to the Maltese government, the island of 400,000 inhabitants and 316 square km - the highest population density in the EU - received 1,800 immigrants last year.
With 750 more arrivals this year, the immigrant community now numbers around 3,000.
"We have always prided ourselve...
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