(AFP) Italian anti-immigration leader Matteo Salvini warned Thursday his country would not host “the refugee camp of Europe” as he visited a migrant centre on the tiny island of Lampedusa on a campaign stop for September elections.
Dozens of overcrowded boats have arrived in recent days on Lampedusa, whose location off the Tunisian coast has made it a landing point for thousands of migrants who cross the central Mediterranean each year.
Salvini, who leads Italy’s League party, has made stopping the arrivals the cornerstone of his platform ahead of general elections on September 25, where he is expected to gain power as part of a right-wing alliance.
“Lampedusa is the gateway to Europe, it cannot be the refugee camp of Europe,” he told reporters after visiting the island’s migrant reception camp.
