by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Serena Tonel, Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Economic Development, Theaters, and Major Events; Riccardo Laterza, leader of the Adesso Trieste group, municipal councilor
A meeting of Trieste’s municipal council was suspended on Monday evening after demonstrators gathered outside City Hall to call for emergency accommodation for people living on the streets. The protest came eight days after two people died in a fire at an abandoned warehouse in the city’s Porto Vecchio area.
An estimated 100 to 200 people gathered in the rain, calling on the municipality to open the former covered market in via Flavio Gioia, near the central railway station, as a temporary shelter. The building, owned by the municipality, has been closed since 2016.
At approximately 6:15 p.m., some demonstrators attempted to enter City Hall, but local police blocked the entrances. Council President Francesco Panteca subsequently closed the public gallery, citing security concerns, according to local media reports.
Following negotiations, Panteca agreed to admit six representatives of the demonstrators. The council session was suspended for about two hours and later concluded with a commitment to arrange a meeting between the delegation and the municipal administration. No date was announced, Radio Capodistria reported.
Tensions arose again following remarks by Ugo Rossi of Futuro Nazionale, who referred to “remigration”. The delegation was subsequently escorted out of the building by police.
The demonstration followed a fire on the night of Nov. 1 at an abandoned warehouse in Porto Vecchio, in which a 21-year-old woman from San Daniele del Friuli and a 23-year-old Moroccan man died. According to ANSA, the man was subject to an expulsion order. Access to the building had reportedly been closed for some time. The Trieste Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the incident.
The deaths have brought renewed attention to the availability of emergency accommodation and services for people experiencing homelessness in the city.
On Friday, Nov. 6, approximately 200 people gathered at the former covered market in an attempt to open the building. The incident resulted in three police officers being injured, including Deputy Police Chief Leonardo Boido, who was struck by an object described in reports as a paper bomb or powerful firecracker. One woman was reported to prosecutors. Accounts of how the confrontation began have differed.
Regional Governor Massimiliano Fedriga appealed for calm on Nov. 7, calling for an end to the tensions.
The issue has also prompted political debate following comments by Mayor Roberto Dipiazza of Forza Italia. Quoted by Il Piccolo, Dipiazza said: “If they throw paper bombs in my city, I will shoot them in the head.” Democratic Party deputy Debora Serracchiani subsequently called for his resignation.
During Monday’s council meeting, the governing majority voted against a request by Five Star Movement councilor Alessandra Richetti to continue the session. A motion concerning the mayor’s remarks was therefore not discussed.
Riccardo Laterza, a municipal councilor with the opposition group Adesso Trieste, said the demonstration had brought attention to issues affecting the city. He added that “any act of violence is absolutely unjustified”, while describing the deaths as a consequence of abandonment and marginalization.
Deputy Mayor Serena Tonel said public demonstrations were a legitimate expression of democracy. She maintained that accommodation places were available within the city’s reception system, while distinguishing the circumstances of those living in the warehouse from the issue of access to reception facilities, describing them instead as related to broader forms of social marginalization.
The use of the former covered market as temporary accommodation remains under discussion, with no decision or timetable announced by the municipal administration.
