Roberto Gualtieri did not share his decision with his own party either, they also attack the " de-zeroing " of sleeping places for the homeless.
The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, ordered the dismantling of temporary street sleeping places for migrants and other homeless people, which began with the demolition of dozens of tents lined up in a park adjacent to Termini train station.
The tents, mattresses, and personal items were transported by the public cleanliness office of the capital. The park was cleaned and surrounded by a fence.
By the time the authorities arrived, only nineteen immigrants remained at the site, nine of whom did not have identity documents, so the migration office transported them.
Sleeping bags, blankets, and stuffed paper boxes are a common sight in the streets, squares, and parks of Rome.
For nearly ten years, hundreds of people have also lived in the park on the side of the Termini railway station, along the ancient city wall, mostly African immigrants, who received food, hygiene or, if necessary, medical care at the Caritas shelter operating at the railway station.
Residents in several districts of the capital protested for a long time about migrants living in the open air.
Roberto Gualtieri, a politician from the left-wing Democratic Party (PD), who will be the mayor from 2021, announced in the summer that he intends to settle the situation on the streets of Rome by 2025, the jubilee holy year announced by the Vatican. He stated that he wants to strengthen public security for next year's church event, for which thirty million pilgrims are expected to come to Rome.
However, Roberto Gualtieri did not share his decision with his own party: the PD welcomed the " de-zeroing " of homeless shelters with surprise.
Marta Bonafoni, the national coordinator of the Democratic Party, called the mayor's action a serious and worrisome measure, which, according to her, "wants to devalue fragile people".
After the liquidation of the first tent camp, migrants and other homeless people living in the open began to move towards the outer districts.
According to previous plans of the mayor's office, reception centers, larger tents for up to seventy people or two-story containers would be created at several points.
One of the selected locations would be in the square in front of Termini, another in the former tunnel of the train station, but local residents and merchants also started collecting signatures against them.
According to the 2022 data of the Istat statistical office, the number of homeless people in Rome is more than 23,000.
On Tuesday, Roberto Gualtieri announced his candidacy for the next mayoral election in 2026.
MTI
Cover image: Illustration / Pope Francis (b) visits the Capitol Hill in Rome on June 10, 2024, accompanied by Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri.
MTI/EPA-ANSA/Ettore Ferrari
