[VIDEO/PHOTOS] Italian Mafia vs. Refugees: Sicilian Capital Becomes Battleground

When the beauty and heritage of old world Italy mirrors Beirut or Istanbul, it’s time for things to change. It would seem the Italians have had enough of the muslim invasion of Europe, and Italy. And when Italians have had enough of a bad situation, … well, in this case, the Mafia has taken matters into their own hands.

DailyMail: Sicilian mafia declared ‘war on migrants’ after immigration levels soared. Innocent man shot in the head during a street altercation in Palermo. Cosa Nostra are fighting African gangs for supremacy on Sicily. Palermo mayor has described the Sicily’s capital as ‘no longer European’

Mafia bosses have ‘declared war’ against migrants on the holiday paradise of Sicily as one thousand new arrivals pour on to the island every day.

The feared Cosa Nostra are desperate to maintain supremacy after African crime gangs arrived with the migrants – and they are engaged in a deadly turf war.

An innocent Gambian man was shot through the head by an assassin in broad daylight sparking fears of a wider bloodbath.

Mayor Leoluca Orlando told MailOnline: ‘Palermo is no longer an Italian town. It is no longer European. You can walk in the city and feel like you’re in Istanbul or Beirut.’

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Immigration to Italy soared by 90 per cent in the first three months of the year. The migrant population in Ballaró, the part of Palermo where the shooting took place, has risen from approximately five to 25 per cent since the migrant crisis began.

There is widespread concern in Italy that the number of new migrants exceeds the country’s capacity to cope – and the mafia is its biggest and most dangerous critic.

The mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando said: ‘In the past, when the Mafia was more powerful, it prevented any immigrants from entering the city. Until I was 30 years old, I never saw an African or Asian in Palermo.

Palermo is no longer an Italian town. It is no longer European. You can walk in the city and feel like you’re in Istanbul or Beirut.

Leoluca Orlando, mayor of Palermo

‘The Mafia has not understood that the city has changed. We are now a city of immigrants, and the Mafia bosses no longer sit in the mayor’s chair.

‘Palermo is a Middle Eastern town in Europe. It is a mosaic city and we are happy about that.’

The deadly Mafia-migrant war began after African criminal gangs apparently entered the country alongside law-abiding migrants, and started to operate ‘on the Mafia’s doorstep’.

Mobsters claimed that police were targeting their activities while leaving African gangs alone.

Then, two weeks ago, an innocent Gambian migrant was shot through the head in a ‘hit’ by a gangster dubbed ‘an animal’. Astonishingly, he survived, but the attack was a brutal example of the violence gripping the island and raises fears it will spin out of control.

Mayor Orlando said: ‘This Mafia shooting was a tremendous mistake because it turned the city against them. The Mafia needs silence and darkness. It needs people to keep their mouths shut.

‘When it does such a brutal act, shooting a young guy, the mayor switches on the lights and the whole city comes after them.’

Palermo police commissioner Guido Longo added: ‘We are facing acts of unprecedented aggression and bullying [against migrants] with typically Mafioso attitudes. There is a will to impose their rule on the territory.’

Read and see more photos at The Daily Mail.