The curtain falls on the Festa dell’Unità organized by the Provincial Federation of the Democratic Party and Young Democrats of Messina. A long weekend that brought together many insights and shared opportunities, to finally try to team up and look towards the future together. At least this is the hope of the representatives of the provincial coordination of the Dems with Calogero Leanza, the youngest deputy of the ARS and the other historical components, counting on the driving force of the young Dems. “Building equality, regenerating the country” was the paradigm chosen for the meetings of yesterday’s final day on training, culture, educational policies, equality, rights and the mafia.
«Messina is not immune to the mafia phenomenon», said Nuccio Anselmo, journalist of the Gazzetta del Sud and author of the book “The Nebrodi mafia”, who moderated the proceedings, passing the floor to the president of the regional anti-mafia commission, the deputy Antonello Cracolici, who just on the eve of the Festa dell’Unità in Messina ended up in the spotlight for his statements on the construction of the Strait Bridge which see him in a different position compared to his party. No mention of the topic, Cracolici, speaking from the stage in Piazza Duomo, spoke instead of Cosa Nostra and Matteo Messina Denaro. «Compared to yesterday – he said – the mafia is weaker but it is not yet weaker in terms of reputation, otherwise Messina Denaro would not have been able to remain a fugitive at home for a lifetime. If we want to crush the mafia, it is not enough to arrest the mafioso, who must instead be hit in terms of the consensus he receives through actions of individual responsibility. The data arriving from the Sicilian Prefectures, which I recently visited as president of the anti-mafia commission, highlight that Sicily is currently full of drugs. The large quantity of drugs that are seized is an indication of this expansion.”
Stefania Marino, national deputy of the Democratic Party, reminded Sicilians of their «duty to take strong positions. After the massacres of the 90s, we almost deluded ourselves that we had eradicated the mafia which continued to creep in and become more insidious. If the State is not present, we cannot alone fight this battle.”
On the complex role of associations in actions to combat forms of illegality, there was a discussion with the representative of Addiopizzo Messina, Enrico Pistorino. «It often happens – he said – that commercial operators pay protection money without realizing it. The province of Messina has specific peculiarities that make it different from Palermo and Catania. Here it also happens that the agreement to keep the municipal anti-usury office open is not renewed after 25 years! A faster bureaucracy for the assignment of assets confiscated from mafiosi by entrepreneurs, especially young ones, was the hope of Alessandro Sciortino, president of Legacoop eastern Sicily. And Professor Lucia Risicato, professor of criminal law at the University of Messina, expressed concern about the decline in enrollments in law faculties: «After the Falcone and Borsellino massacres there was a boom. Everyone wanted to study Law, but today the most popular degree courses are physical, communication or culinary sciences. A trend that does not bode well from a cultural point of view. The fight against the mafia is not just made up of laws but is part of each of us.” Of widespread acceptance of the various forms of violations, also represented by bad habits such as employment Sicindustria vice-president Ivo Blandina spoke instead of a stalemate reserved for disabled people up to contracts and labor market rules.
The Festa dell’Unità ended with the focus “For equality. Protection of rights and public health” moderated by the journalist Tiziana Caruso with the participation of the national deputy Marco Furfaro, the former deputy Maria Flavia Timbro, Alfredo Rizzo of the regional secretariat of the Democratic Party, the mayors of Raccuja, Ivan Martella and Casalvecchio Marco Saetti, of the deputy mayor of Malfa Giuseppe Siracusano and of Damiano Di Giovanni of the University Union of Messina.
