Hundreds camp in Rome heat as Meloni cracks down on squats

Hundreds of people have spent a week sleeping in tents in the Rome heat amid a standoff between Giorgia Meloni's government and local politicians over the future of Italy's most high-profile centre, the Guardian reported this week.

The Spin Time building, a former hotel in the capital's Esquilino district, has provided homes, food banks and after-school clubs for years, but the authorities have locked out residents, according to the Guardian's Rome correspondent.

The move comes as Italy places all 27 of its major cities under the highest heat alert as the fourth heatwave of the summer intensifies, edging temperatures in some areas close to 40C, according to the Guardian.

The standoff in Rome reflects a broader pattern in foreign coverage of Italy under the Meloni government, which has sought to project firmness on housing and migration issues. The Guardian noted that the eviction of Spin Time's residents has become a symbol of the government's approach to social housing, with local politicians in Rome — a city run by a left-leaning administration — resisting the national government's orders.

The timing is particularly fraught. With temperatures in Rome approaching 40C, the tents pitched outside Spin Time have become a visible test of the government's social policy in the capital, where the Jubilee year has drawn attention to the city's management of public space and services. Foreign correspondents have noted the contrast between the city's global image and the conditions faced by its most vulnerable residents.

The Guardian reported that the standoff has drawn attention from beyond Italy, with the situation in Rome cited as an example of the tensions between national policy and municipal governance in Italy's major cities. The heatwave has compounded the urgency, with civil protection authorities warning of health risks across the urban centres under red alert.

The outcome of the Spin Time standoff remains unclear, but the Guardian reported that the locked-out residents have vowed to remain camped outside the building until a solution is found. The episode has become a focal point for criticism of the government's housing policies from opposition politicians and civil society groups, as reported by the Guardian.