Flash mob to protest closing Roma camps

(ANSA) - Rome, December 11 - The July 21 Association announced Friday that it will hold a flash mob in front of the Pantheon in Rome on Saturday to protest the city's dismantling of Roma camps, as part of its international "Capital Sin" (Peccato Capitale) campaign to raise public awareness around forced evacuations of the camps.
    The group said the city began initiating the evacuations on March 13 of this year, the same day Pope Francis announced his plan to hold the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began December 8.
    Since then, the city has tripled its forced evacuations of the camps, in "violation of international law and human rights", the association said.
    The group launched an online petition calling on the city to stop the forced evacuations, counting among its signers anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano and journalist Gad Lerner, along with 26 civil society organisations.
    Meanwhile on Friday, Rome Prefect Franco Gabrielli addressed a group of Rome residents from the XII Municipality near Vatican City, and said dismantling the "Monachina" camp situated off Via Aurelia between the XII and XIII Municipalities is a "priority", but requires administrative intervention.
    "I hope after the holidays we can intervene," Gabrielli said.