This picture shows police in riot gear intervening on Wednesday at Piazza Indipendenza square in central Rome, where dozens of migrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea had been camping out on the grass. The refugees and asylum seekers were among the 440 evacuated on Saturday at sunrise from a nearby building.
Police came to the square to supervise the area. Some migrants laid down on the ground, while others held makeshift signs.There were brief moments of tension but no clashes. "We're refugees, not terrorists," one of the migrants from the square yelled to the authorities. Other migrants who were authorized to stay in the building because of their vulnerable situations threw objects from the windows, while children yelled "we want a home".
The prefecture has found a temporary solution for about a hundred of the migrants - among whom there are some children, elderly, and disabled - and their families. It was decided that the company managing the building that was evacuated after four years of occupation will provide housing for six months at no cost to the city. After the six months, the prefecture will convene another meeting to check on work by local institutions to find a permanent solution.