Key facts
- Hundreds of people evicted from Rome's Spin Time Labs building are now camping in tents.
- The eviction follows the collapse of talks between the owner and Rome council.
- The owner refused the council's offer to purchase the building.
- The evicted residents, including children, are facing extreme heat.
- Rome authorities and Caritas are seeking alternative housing solutions.
Rome authorities are struggling to find housing for hundreds of people who were evicted from the Spin Time Labs building and are now camping in extreme heat. The eviction, which occurred at the end of July, followed the collapse of negotiations between the building's owner and the Rome council. The owner reportedly refused the council's offer to purchase the property, despite efforts by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri to secure a deal. The approximately 400 former residents, including a quarter who are children, have been sleeping in tents, with one child hospitalized due to breathing difficulties. This situation has reignited a political debate regarding squatted buildings, with the current government viewing them as criminal dens, while critics point to the continued occupation of a state-owned building by the neofascist CasaPound. The leftwing council, supported by Caritas, is now actively seeking alternative accommodations for the displaced residents, who have vowed to continue their protest until a viable solution is found.