Saturday’s march was not a funeral for Leoncavallo; on the contrary, it was a demonstration of vitality and power. 

The streets were filled not only with those who want to defend the historic social center or who identify with its long and complex half-century history. It was filled with everyone who considers the attack on Leoncavallo, Milan's oldest and most famous counter-cultural squat, a threat to themselves, their political experiences, their ways of life, and the very possibility of imagining an existence as far as possible from misery and loneliness. The large numbers show that this category includes a great many people of different generations, cultures, and even social classes.

The day began early, when a few hundred activists from Milan’s social spaces, some very young, appeared in front of Leoncavallo’s now-former headquarters on Via Watteau. This was the location evicted on August 21, and it remains under constant surveillance by numerous police officers.

It’s a safe bet that this permanent police presence will last for a while, not least because within the walls of “the Leo,” as it is known, there are works of art and historical documents protected by Italy's cultural heritage authority. It will be difficult for them to hastily call in the bulldozers to make way for new high-rises in the courtyard.

The day continued with a midday aperitif, with a........

© Il Manifesto Global