What is Leoncavallo, the social center cleared after more than thirty years of employment

The eviction arrived surprisingly on the morning of Thursday 21 August 2025. It was expected that it would be on 9 September, the date of the last execution set after that of July 15, not went to the end. Over 130, in over thirty years, are the postponements of the eviction for the Leoncavalloemployed social center, in via Watteau, in the Greek district north of Milan, in 1994.

The judicial history

The property asked the Prefecture to free the structure on several occasions, but the procedure had never been completed so far. On the one hand for “reasons of public order” given the associations that are based here and the wide attendance, on the other because the Municipality of Milan had attempted, without success, a mediation with the Cabassi group, owner of the property. In November 2024 the Ministry of the Interior had been sentenced to pay 3 million euros for being “defaulting” in ending an employment that started in 1994. The compensation requested by the Court of Appeal for the failure to eviction was paid, but the Ministry also asked for a refund to those who deal with the social center.

The Corriere della Sera Remember the payment injunction that arrived at the Leoncavallo anti -fascist mothers association. The Association, last March, had presented an expression of preliminary interest to move to a new building that would however need redevelopment. The social center has opened a fundraiser, called “resistance case”. Leoncavallo mothers speak of a tragedy: «It is an executive eviction. We will have 30 days to find an agreement with the property to take some things … Certainly the Leoncavallo has gone ».

Controversy and statements

The call to resistance on social media of Leoncavallo was immediate, which is called self -managed public space. A public assembly is scheduled at 6 pm. «The police clear the Leoncavallo. Public garrison and assembly today in via Watteau h 18.00. The prefect planted had promised him to the right: the most famous social center in Italy must disappear. Symbols are scary, the story even more. We launch a garrison and an assembly public today at 18.00 in via Watteau. Now he decides Milan! ».

The mayor of Milan Sala expressed amazement for surprise intervention. «Yesterday I was at Palazzo Marino, engaged in work meetings. I delegated the deputy commander of the local police in my representation to participate in the Committee for order and security which, as usual, is held every Wednesday. At that time, no executive eviction of the Leoncavallo social center was not mentioned. For an operation of this delicacy, beyond the committee, there were many ways to warn the Milanese administration. These methods have not been pursued. I received the news from the prefect this morning. The intervention on Leoncavallo was expected, but for September 9th. In consideration of this official timeline, as a municipality we had continued, with the managers of Leoncavallo, a comparison that brought the entire initiative of the center to full legality. As underlined by some newspapers, various solutions were being evaluated in accordance with the law, which could go in the desired sense. I am convinced, and I have already declared it previously, that Leoncavallo covers a historical and social value in our city. It’s my opinion, I know that my words will not agree everyone. In my opinion, this social center must continue to issue culture, clearly in a context of legality. For years and years it has been a peaceful place of commitment. I confirm the desire to keep the interlocution open with the managers of the activities of the Social Center “.

Satisfaction from the League leader Salvini who even defended the center in the past. «Decades of tolerated illegality, and repeatedly supported, from the left: now we finally change. The law is the same for everyone: Afuera! ». These are the words of the Minister of the Interior Planate: «The eviction of the Leoncavallo social center scores the end of a long season of illegality. For thirty years that property has been illegally occupied. And the damage was added to the damage: the state forced even to compensate the damage to the employment. Legality is finally restored today. The government has a clear line: zero tolerance towards illegal occupations. Since the beginning of our mandate, almost 4 thousand properties have already been cleared. The eviction of Leoncavallo is only another step of a constant and determined strategy that we will still bring forward ».

«No respect for 50 years of history of movements, counter-culture, youth aggregation, politics from below. The Milan of building speculation and gentrification, the city of income and “weekends” advances: a soul, exclusive and excluding Milan against the poor, against those who live in their work, against young people. A Milan that appears richest and more patinated, but which is actually much poorer and ugly ». Ilaria Salis writes on social media.

In the comments to these statements, the dichotomy of public opinion on the social center appears clear. On the one hand, those who remember decades of activities of free culture and commitment, concerts and shows, but also political events. On the other there are those who underline the abusive occupation of the building and the failure to respect private property.

The history of Leoncavallo

Leoncavallo is a historic self -managed social center of Milan, founded in 1975. It can undoubtedly be defined as the most famous social center in Italy. Until 1994 he was in the Casoretto district in via Leoncavallo, from the name of the composer who wrote the clowns, then in via Salomone, and then in the building in via Watteau. Musicians such as the 99 Posse and the Almaegretta have passed. Books were presented here and debates were kept. The first Foundation was by anti-fascist groups who, in the seventies, reached the Marxist-Leninists. He had a strong worker imprint, a will of literacy and protection of women’s rights. When the heroine became social emergency, anti-paccio ronde were created. In 1978 two visitors to the social center, Fausto and Iaio were killed due to their investigations on drug trafficking in the neighborhood. The President of the Senate La Russa also remembered them in his settlement speech. With the radicalization of political movements, the Social Center assumed a more cultural side as a reference center for music in particular.

The space has always been at the center of judicial issues. The owners of the various properties have always tried to fall into possession through legal causes. The most important attempt to clear is that of August 1989 with clashes and launch of tear gas in socialist Milan. The muse of the building in via Leoncavallo came down. An entire movement of new social centers in Italy was born after this episode. It came to the urban guerrilla war in via Turati in 1994. “I know those boys, the violent are few,” said Matteo Salvini in an opposite position from the current ones when he was a young adviser. Vittorio Sgarbi added: “The murals around are the Sistine chapel of contemporaneity”.