Rome mayor criticized for buying building to gift to illegal occupants

Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, has purchased the Ex Cinema Palazzo building in the San Lorenzo district to donate it to the collective that had been illegally occupying it. The decision has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that the city should instead support existing cultural spaces that operate legally and are struggling financially. Massimiliano Tonelli of Artribune questions why the municipality does not allocate funds to art galleries, bookstores, theaters, and cinemas that have been working without assistance, such as the recently closed Azzurro Scipioni cinema. The purchase comes shortly after a cabinet reshuffle that saw the dismissal of assessors unwilling to support Raggi's electoral campaign.