For the 31° anniversary of the death of Libero Grassi, the businessman murdered by Cosa Nostra in Palermo in 1991, his family and Addiopizzo promote a day of initiatives in his memory.
The day of 29 August gives us the chance to question ourselves about Libero Grassi’s heritage and about the difficulties that are still encountered along the path of reporting against extortion. Moreover, it pushes us to rethink about the profile of those who still pays for the protection money.
The celebration will start in Palermo in via Alfieri at 7:45 am, in the place where the textile entrepreneur was murdered. Here, every year, the Grassi family put a poster with a short text that describes the his isolation of Libero during in 1991.
After that, at the Addiopizzo headquarters, the Organization promotes a moment of debate and discussion on the extortion phenomenon in Palermo and in its province. Who, why and how many shopkeepers and entrepreneurs pay extortion today? These are some of the questions that the representatives of Addiopizzo will discuss, together with shopowners who reported, the prefect of Palermo, the public prosecutor of Palermo and the national anti-racket and anti-usury commissioner.
The seventh edition of “Sailing for social inclusion” will take place in the afternoon. The children of the Kalsa district and the Addiopizzo educators will sail with the boats of the members of the Lega Navale Italiana. Among them, Azimut, the two-masted sailboat of over 12 meters, seized by the Guardia di Finanza during a an operation against illegal immigration. The initiative is part of the Outreach education activities organized by Addiopizzo. The sailboats will reach the park Libero Grassi, which for too many years has been left in a state of neglect and abandon.
At sunset, from 7.30 pm at the Nautoscope in Piazza Capitaneria di Porto, the photographic exhibition “Libero and Pina Grassi: family, work and civil commitment” will be inaugurated. .
PROGRAMME OF THE EVENT — August 29, 2022
7.45 am — via Vittorio Alfieri
A flower to remember Libero Grassi
10.00 am —Addiopizzo headquarter, via Lincoln 131
Extortion racket: who pays and why?
— Introduction
Raffaele Genova, Addiopizzo
— Speakers
Daniele Marannano, Addiopizzo
Giuseppe Forlani, Prefect of Palermo
Marzia Sabella, Procuratore della Repubblica facente funzioni presso il Tribunale di Palermo
Maria Grazia Nicolò, Commissario straordinario del governo per il coordinamento delle iniziative
antiracket e antiusura
Testimonies of shopkeepers who reported the demand of pizzo to the police
Salvo Caradonna, Addiopizzo’s lawyer
— Moderator
Riccardo Arena, reporter
3.30 pm — “La Cala” harbor
“Sailing for social inclusion”
With Alfredo Chiodi, grandchild of Libero Grassi.
7.30 pm — Nautoscopio, piazza Capitaneria di Porto
Inauguration of the photo exibition
“Libero e Pina Grassi, tra famiglia, lavoro e impegno civile”
— Speakers
Davide and Alice Grassi
Antonio Balsamo, President of the Tribunale di Palermo
Maria Grazia Nicolò, Commissario straordinario del governo per il coordinamento delle iniziative antiracket e antiusura
— Moderator
Elvira Terranova, reporter
