Overview

• Police and an officer of the court executed the eviction on the morning of August 21, moving up a previously notified September 9 date and finding the via Watteau premises empty before returning control to the private owner.
• The operation followed a November 2024 appellate ruling that ordered the Interior Ministry to pay about €3 million to the property owner, with the ministry seeking reimbursement from the Leoncavallo-linked association.
• National leaders, including the interior minister and the prime minister, praised the action as a restoration of legality, while opposition figures and cultural voices denounced the loss of a long‑standing social and cultural space.
• Mayor Giuseppe Sala said the municipality was not informed in advance and is pursuing a lawful relocation to an identified site in via San Dionigi, where asbestos remediation costs and a still-pending public tender are obstacles.
• Leoncavallo supporters, surprised by the timing, have intensified fundraising, held public assemblies and are considering a national demonstration in early September, while saying they have 30 days to coordinate retrieval of materials with the owner.