The conviction handed down in the first instance of the Octopus trial has been upheld on appeal, in which many of the defendants accused of extortion aggravated by mafia methods were convicted, and where some shopkeepers had pressed charges with the support of our movement.
In the trial, we joined as a civil party together with the owners of Caffè Verdone in Bagheria, whom we had assisted in reporting the crimes after they were subjected to abuse, assaults, threats, and extortion aimed at imposing private security at their pub.
We got in touch with the young entrepreneurs of Bagheria some time ago. They were exhausted by fights sparked out of nowhere and worried about losing customers and seeing all their sacrifices go to waste. The investigation and the conclusion of the trial confirmed the existence of a group of individuals dedicated to imposing private security in many venues between Palermo and Bagheria.
It was not an easy trial: during some hearings, there were moments of tension. In the face of the silence of many pub and restaurant owners who were evasive even during their testimony, the young people from Caffè Verdone were among the few who, despite avoiding the spotlight, not only filed a report but also, with the support of Addiopizzo, confirmed in court what they had endured.
This is a case that shows — if proof were still needed — that the conditions exist to report safely and break free from extortion, even in the province of Palermo.
What is clear from this story too — and we want to emphasize it — is that those who pay out of fear can still find, even after a long time, a way to say enough and break free from mafia influence.
Today, however, most business owners who pay extortion money do so not out of fear but out of convenience. And on this point, an update to the analysis and narrative of the phenomenon is now urgent — it’s no longer what it was twenty years ago, and many of those who pay the pizzo seek a “settlement” rather than suffer it.
