Overview
- The managers of Largo Maradona in the Quartieri Spagnoli closed the site and covered the mural’s face in a symbolic protest after a municipal police sweep.
- Police reported confiscating five beverage carts, fining two businesses €5,000 each, shuttering two shops lacking required authorization, and covering makeshift altars during the operation.
- The city said the action followed reports of counterfeit sales and electricity theft, describing it as part of broader enforcement against unauthorized street trading.
- Organizers insist the closure was voluntary on private property, say they pay taxes and employ registered staff but only hold itinerant licenses, and seek a path to formal permits.
- Municipal technical offices are checking roughly 200 m² for urban authorization as the administration opens dialogue, while vendors warn of expanding the protest and keeping the site closed ahead of the October 30 Maradona anniversary.