The measure was taken after the municipal police targeted businesses without authorization to sell.
The famous mural of Diego Maradona in Naples, located in the Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarters), it dawned this Wednesday with his face covered amid a protest by local merchants after a raid in which the Municipal Police seized allegedly illegal products alluding to Diez that were sold in the stalls located in the place, now known as “Long Maradona”.
The conflict began this Tuesday, when the municipal police targeted those businesses that do not have the authorization to sell their corresponding products. Faced with this situation, and as a protest, the owners of the premises that are located in the Quartieri Spagnoli They decided to cover Maradona’s face in the mural. In addition, they argued that the authorization permits are in process. In the event that the situation remains unresolved, Merchants could also enlarge the protest by applying a black curtain.
The organization that manages the space issued a statement after the closure, explaining that “The Largo Maradona area, being private property, was closed by our own will and not by the authorities or other entities”. The text also noted: “we are the first to respect the laws and operate legally: we pay taxes, we are registered with the INPS and the Chamber of Commerce, our merchandise is fully invoiced and our employees have regular employment.”
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“The only problem is that we have a driving license and therefore we cannot be left without work, since it is the only type of license we have been able to obtain. For this reason, We strongly ask the institutions to help us find a concrete solution that allows us to continue working in accordance with the law. Because if we close, we will not only close our family, but an entire neighborhood. And then, we will never reopen Largo Maradona, by our own decision,” the message concluded.
The reason for the protest
During Tuesday afternoon, Neapolitan Municipal Police officers seized t-shirts, scarves and items for sale in the mural squarein addition to covering the small chapel that houses memories dedicated to the best player in the world.
According to authorities, “Five beverage carts were seized, abandoned and chained on public roads, without authorization”. “In addition, two businesses, one food and one non-food, were seized for not having the required permanent authorization,” they added.
“Administrative fines of 5,000 euros each were imposed for these violations.in addition to other irregularities being discovered, such as the illegal occupation of public lands with a total area of approximately 9.4 square meters and the lack of vehicular access. The competent technical offices will now proceed to verify the urban planning authorization for an area of approximately 200 square meters, which will be the subject of a more exhaustive investigation,” the Police detailed.
Source: Ambito
