In 2016, Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right Italian party Lega, visited a Romani camp on the outskirts of Rome. At the entrance of the camp he was greeted by a small crowd chanting “bulldoze” and presented with a toy bulldozer, which he accepts with a grin. During his tour, Salvini stops to give an impromptu speech accusing the Roma inhabitants of being work-shy and vowing to close the camp. A man in the crowd tries to explain that Roma have been denied work and housing. But Salvini is insistent, responding: “You can’t live like this”.
Three years later, the camp, in the town of Tor Sapienza, is still standing, but it has recently come under the control of the military. In March, 39 armed soldiers were sent to the camp by Rome mayor Virginia Raggi, who thanked the Ministry of Interior, presided over by Salvini since 2018, and the Ministry of Defence for providing the troops.
Rosi Mangiacavallo, an Italian activist who has been monitoring the situation in the camps, said that there has been "a near constant military presence in the camp since March” and that residents are given “no warning of when soldiers are being sent in”.
