The July 21 Association
announced Friday that it will hold a flash mob in front of the
Pantheon in Rome on Saturday to protest the city's dismantling
of Roma camps, as part of its international "Capital Sin"
(Peccato Capitale) campaign to raise public awareness around
forced evacuations of the camps.
The group said the city began initiating the evacuations on
March 13 of this year, the same day Pope Francis announced his
plan to hold the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began December 8.
Since then, the city has tripled its forced evacuations of
the camps, in "violation of international law and human rights",
the association said.
The group launched an online petition calling on the city
to stop the forced evacuations, counting among its signers
anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano and journalist Gad Lerner,
along with 26 civil society organisations.
Meanwhile on Friday, Rome Prefect Franco Gabrielli
addressed a group of Rome residents from the XII Municipality
near Vatican City, and said dismantling the "Monachina" camp
situated off Via Aurelia between the XII and XIII Municipalities
is a "priority", but requires administrative intervention.
"I hope after the holidays we can intervene," Gabrielli
said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
