Hundreds camp in Rome heat as Meloni government locks out squatters

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 for squatters, the Guardian reported. The Spin Time building, which provides homes, food banks and after-school clubs, has been locked out by authorities, leaving residents in limbo.

The confrontation has become a flashpoint in the government's crackdown on squatting, a policy that has drawn criticism from housing advocates and local officials. The Guardian's report describes residents camping in the heat, a situation made more acute by the red alert heatwave covering all major Italian cities.

The standoff speaks to a broader tension in Italian housing policy, one that resonates beyond Rome. In Sicily, where public housing shortages and informal settlements are long-standing issues, the Spin Time case is watched as a test of how far the government will go in evicting vulnerable populations.