Norman Lowell the fiery leader of the far-right Imperium Europa, said yesterday that illegal immigrants not only threatened Malta's security, but also posed a "sanitary, cultural and genetic" threat to the country.

Mr Lowell was addressing a 200-strong crowd who gathered on Safi's main square yesterday afternoon to "express solidarity" with the Armed Forces following the incidents at Safi Barracks on January 13, in which 26 irregular immigrants and two soldiers were reportedly injured.

Around 15 policemen placed barriers around the square before people gathered in front of St Paul's band club, adjacent to the church, where electricity for the loudspeakers was provided.

While it was evident that a few turned up out of curiosity, others seemed to be paying attention to Mr Lowell as he spoke.

Mr Lowell started his speech by attacking the media for being "against the army and the boys in blue".

Waving a stick in the air from time to time, he said the media were controlled by "those who know where true power lies".

"It's the media which control and twist public opinion," Mr Lowell claimed, adding that the media were responsible for painting a negative picture of him.

"I am a libertarian and not a Nazi or a Fascist," he said.

Mr Lowell said Malta is the only country that still had a "homogenous" race. The rest of Europe, from Ireland to Poland, was "contaminated" and it would not be long before Europeans would want to come here to experience the "real spirituality".

"This is why we have to annihilate the black coal," Mr Lowell said.

A group of men, who all wore sunglasses and caps, the collars of their jackets covering their chins, clapped heartily when Mr Lowell mentioned the Brigadier of the Armed Forces. Mr Lowell said that at this point, the AFM commander should not resign "even if he had the gravest of personal problems".

Mr Lowell said the authorities were secretly going to change the law so that illegal immigrants would have a renewable visa to stay in Malta.

He attacked Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini who said recently that an immigrants' centre should be set up in Malta. "I will find Mr Frattini in Brussels and he will have to apologise publicly," Mr Lowell shouted.

Immigrants entering Malta on boats should be stopped 14 miles offshore and warned not to come ashore, Mr Lowell said.

The upcoming conference on illegal immigration would turn out to be yet another farce, with Government and Opposition on one side and the NGOs, who "have nothing better to do", on the other, he said.

Mr Lowell finished his speech by raising his stick in the air and crying "Ave!"