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About 700 people, armed with banners and flags, marched in Soave, Italy, against the move as thousands of migrants arrive in the country after being rescued at sea. Small towns like Soave have largely avoided housing migrants so far but are now having to address the issue after record numbers of people arrived in the country. A record 27,500 migrants arrived in October alone, bringing the total to almost 160,000 people this year.

RUPTLY Hundreds protest against housing migrants in Soave, Italy

The demonstration saw hundreds marching under torchlight in the town, home to 7,000 people, in the province of Verona. Protesters were seen carrying banners emblazoned “Verona for Veronese” and reportedly chanting “Italy for Italians”. The latest show of opposition comes after mafia bosses allegedly “declared war” on migrants after a man was shot in the head as a deadly turf war broke out with African crime gangs in Palermo earlier this year.

Migrant crisis explained in numbers Fri, July 22, 2016 A monthly record of 218,394 migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea in October, the UN says, almost as many as the total number of arrivals in 2014. We take a look at the shocking statistics facing the humanitarian crisis. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 47 137 migrants of African origins were rescued by coast guard boats off the coast of Libya