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October 20th 2005. Ndrangheta and other bad things about Italy

You may already know that these are rough days for Italy.

This country is in such a bad shape, that in any aspect of life one can pick reasons of disappointment and annoyance (I mean, above average reasons).
Recently I stumbled in all sort of posts, from italians in Italy, italians abroad, from foreigners in Italy, all complaining the italians crabbiness, bad manners, pollution, negligence, mafia, ignorance... (from bellavite.de, Buzzurro, BeppeGrillo.it, Italian Meat, Romanus Yankeeus just to name a few). All the posts were pretty well-founded. Including mine.

On the other hand, it's pretty hard to say good things about Italy these days. Just as you bump into anything good, there will be someone pointing out how what seemed good on the surface, in fact was just as bad.
I did this exercise dozens of times.

Well anyway. Now things seem to turn into something darker.
I have bad feelings. Bad memories

Last week, as the first italian Primary elections ever were held by the left wing coalition, a southern politician, Francesco Fortugno, member of the "Daisy Party" (a left-wing moderate political party whose leading member is the former PM and former EU president Romano Prodi, elected in the Primary as the opponent to Silvio Berlusconi in the next general elections, due in April 2006) was ambushed and killed while headed to vote.
Obviously, the local Mafia of Calabria, called "Ndrangheta" instructed the murder.
It is already obvious that this criminal act was intended as a message to the left-wing coalition which is likely to kick Berlusconi out of office. The message, pretty clear, is: "If you win, you are going to deal with us, willingly or not".
Ndrangheta is the strongest criminal organization in Italy; probably the strongest criminal organization in the whole Europe: surely stronger than any terroristic organization. Its root in the territory are strong. Its friends innumerable.
They make most of the money by smuggling drugs all over the world, but Ndrangheta also controls most of the public contracts in Calabria and all around Italy. They control building, administrative, public health contracts. They always have their share.

From the FBI website:

The word "'Ndrangheta" is of Greek origin meaning courage or loyalty. The 'Ndrangheta formed in the 1860s when a group of Sicilians were banished from Sicily by the Italian government. They settled in Calabria and formed small criminal groups. The 'Ndrangheta consists of 160 cells and approximately 6,000 members and specializes in kidnapping and political corruption. The 'Ndrangheta cells are loosely connected family groups based on blood relationships and marriages. 'Ndrangheta presence in the United States is estimated between 100 and 200 members and associates. The majority of that presence is in New York and Florida. The 'Ndrangheta is also known to engage in cocaine and heroin trafficking, murder, bombings, counterfeiting, gambling, frauds, thefts, labor racketeering, loansharking, alien smuggling, and kidnapping.

In such conditions the left-wing coalition took charge in the last local elections in Calabria. And now paid the price.

What's going to happen now? Alas, nothing. Berlusconi doesn't care for Mafia. He never signed a single act against it. There's a lot of evidence pointing out that he instead invested, washed, recycled money that the Sicilian Mafia gave him. This way he kickstarted his fabulous economic empire.

But aside of Berlusconi's attitude, will any Italian government ever make a decisive move against mafia?
I know, unlucky me, that the answer is "no".
Mafia it's the snakes' pit of Italy, the dirty black hole that generates corruption, arrogance, criminal acts, murders, abuses. The branches are too long, mazy and numerous.
The roots may be in the south, but the bitter fruits are everywhere.

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8 Responses to “Ndrangheta and other bad things about Italy” :

europeancommoner said

Italy is a lovely country though it is indeed an utter shame that the Italian government (national and local) have apparently no interest in tackling the cancer of the mafia.
A few years ago the Germans have offered the Italians to solve their problems however Rome did not like to hear the German help. The problem can be solved though then by other Europeans instead of the Italians.

cesare said

It sounds ridiculous to me that people still believe that the “Mafia” (not to name them all) it’s a problem that can be solved. Some other people, say that tha government does not do anything and they think they would have a solution if they were left to decide. You all make me and many other people laugh.
There are several reason why the government does not get involved. One is because they are friend, you know…. that kind of person you better be friend with that enemy… the gorvenment knows well who they are dealing with, and even if they act like they are doing somenthing, like cacthing a very old boss who is either left behind by the new generation or voluntary agreed to a 5 star treatment in jail in exchange of god knows what!! talking of god… the church is as connected as the government and I would challenge anybody who wants to debate it. I prefere not to talk online about it, as, to be frank, I fear the church a lot more then the ‘ndrangheta!
Then, that the mafia mentality in all the south of Italy is radicated is a fact. To anybody who would like to comment this, I would ask: Did you ever live in the south? I don’t care if you wouldn’t, but if you didn’t, just shut up.
To conclude, how do you fight an organization? forget about the government asking for the “Omerta’” to end! How can you (father of 3 married to an housewife) trust that the police, the law or the justice wuold protect you, when they can’t even protect themselves?
So jokes aside, how do these guys make millions? Drugs is the number one, controlling the big colombian and turkish moves in the mediterranean and being the number one wholesaler of the most drug consuming continent must be profitable! but the Gorvenment will never dream of legalizing drug, they prefere the “mafia”. Then imaging if the church would ever accept anything like this… again, i’m too afraid of them to just go into it.
Anyway we are late with the drugs, as they already made most of the money and “they” are now investing in property, shopping centers, politics (see Berlusconi, the best investment the mafia made), foreign investment and all sort of business.
You also have to consider that if you have mafia relatives, but you are a small fish who wants out, and you start an honest business, the italian law will surely confiscate everything and force you to swim with your relatives the sharks, you hacve to feed your family, government does not help what do you do? you join the sharks and the gov and play with their rules. So by attacking their businesses all you do is reiforcing their number!
sad sad sad
want an advvice? Legalize the mafia, give them the public power, let their face to be well known, they care about their image. If they could arrest you they wouldn’t need to kill you. Than if the Mafia was a government would be forced to behave like one ( wich is badly but anyway….) let’s give them mafialand!!!

uh hu said

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071105/ap_on_re_eu/italy_mafia_arrests;_ylt=AhcMBtXyDeGPtugikAl6p.EV6w8F

Frank said

—-
want an advvice? Legalize the mafia, give them the public power, let their face to be well known, they care about their image. If they could arrest you they wouldn’t need to kill you. Than if the Mafia was a government would be forced to behave like one ( wich is badly but anyway….) let’s give them mafialand!!!
—-

So italians want a government run by criminals/dictators? Forget about democracy and fancy ideals, let´s go back to the stone age when people clubbed each other to death over a wild boar (or whatever they were hunting).

Ombra said

The mafia and ‘Ndrangheta are different organizations. The ‘Ndrangheta flourishes and i doubt there is anything that can be done about it now. The mafia is slowly dying away due to informants giving away its secrets. There is not much information from the ‘Ndrangheta because its members are all usually family so its much more sealed. Its like the problem of gangs in the U.S. Sure you can put maybe a little dent in the problem but there is no way you can totally get rid of it.

Keith said

They key to stopping organized crime is for the people to stop accepting it in their cities and towns. Check out organizations like “Addio Pizzo” or “Ammazzateci tutti” (http://www.addiopizzo.org and http://www.ammazzatecitutti.org). Grassroots organizations like these are the ones that could weaken and eliminate the mafia if people got passed their fears. Until election reform is taken up seriously in Italy, nothing will change. The citizens need to demand what they want and use the power of the polls to achieve their aims. Only then will the government do anything.

It’s an unfortunate reality, but organized crime and the black market are (sad to say) vital aspects of economics. They will always exist, but they don’t have to control our lives.

Cella Leo said

My famiglia came to American from Calabria. My great grandfather, great grandmother and their nine children, one of whom is my grandfather Tomaso. My great grandfather was born in Naples. My great grandmother in Calabria. The two were betrothed to one another in Unione of two families who belonged to the Onorata Soceita…”The Honored Society”…aka. ‘Ndrangheta. I am the great granddaughter & the granddaughter of Napoli, Calabria & Sicilia. “Salute!”

Cella Leo said

Hey Keith…get a life! La Cosa Nostra is NOT a problem that needs to be solved. The U.S. Gov really needs to find something better to do with their time…and so do you!

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