Riots at the Ħal Far open centre on Sunday night started when three young migrant residents were denied entry because they were drunk, a court heart today.

The three migrants, 20-year-old Chadian Abdalla Muhammed Abdalla, a 16-year-old Sudanese national and a 17-year-old Nigerian national, have been charged with a number of offences, including injuring two police officers and a support worker, breaching the public peace, acting obscenely in public while drunk, and ignoring police orders. The publication of the names of the two minors has been banned by court order.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke heard how the three migrants had arrived in Malta a few weeks ago and were refused entry to the Ħal Far open centre last Sunday after turning up drunk. They protested their ban, kicking off an argument that spiralled into a full-blown riot, which saw cars burned, security cameras broken and offices ransacked.

They are pleading not guilty to the charges but have been denied bail, with the prosecution arguing there was a risk they could escape Malta.

Around 90-100 migrants will be charged today in connection with the riots, and armed police have been sent to court for the occasion.   

READ NEXT: Ħal Far Open Centre CEO Praises Migrants Who Defended Staff During Barbaric Riots