{"id":99406,"date":"2026-10-29T09:48:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T08:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/addiopizzo.org\/?p=99406"},"modified":"2026-11-04T10:59:03","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:59:03","slug":"standing-by-those-who-report-the-journey-shared-with-the-business-owners-of-brancaccio-and-ciaculli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/addiopizzo.org\/en\/updates\/standing-by-those-who-report-the-journey-shared-with-the-business-owners-of-brancaccio-and-ciaculli\/","title":{"rendered":"Standing by those who report: the journey shared with the business owners of Brancaccio and Ciaculli"},"content":{"rendered":"

This morning saw the opening of the appeal, held under the abbreviated procedure, in the trial of nine defendants<\/strong> charged, in various capacities, with mafia-type association<\/strong> as members of the Brancaccio-Ciaculli mafia district (mandamento<\/em>) of Palermo<\/strong>, extortion<\/strong>, drug trafficking<\/strong>, illegal possession of weapons<\/strong> and aiding and abetting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Addiopizzo has joined the proceedings as a civil party alongside two business owners<\/strong> who chose to stand up to the extortion racket, at the end of a journey of listening, trust and support built together with the association.<\/p>\n

Their decision developed over time, through a shared path<\/strong> that allowed them to face their fears, overcome difficulties and find the strength to tell investigators from the Squadra Mobile (Flying Squad)<\/strong> and magistrates from the Palermo Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office<\/strong> about the abuse and repeated demands they had endured for years.<\/p>\n

This is precisely the meaning of Addiopizzo\u2019s work<\/strong>: standing by those who suffer extortion, listening to people, understanding their needs and accompanying them along a path that puts them in a position to free themselves from mafia blackmail. Because reporting means facing not only the fear of retaliation<\/strong>, but also isolation<\/strong>, economic uncertainty<\/strong> and the fear of having to bear the consequences of one\u2019s choice alone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The testimony of the two business owners<\/strong> takes on even greater significance in a difficult area, where thirty-one shopkeepers were in the past committed for trial for aiding and abetting<\/a>, after denying to investigators that they had paid the pizzo<\/em>, thereby helping to obstruct the investigation.<\/p>\n

Yet in these neighbourhoods too, there are those who choose a different path<\/strong>: one of dignity<\/strong>, freedom<\/strong> and courage<\/strong>. These stories show that it is possible to break the silence when people are not left alone and can count on a support network<\/strong> able to accompany them in concrete ways.<\/p>\n

But the victims\u2019 journey cannot end with reporting<\/strong>, nor can it be left solely to their determination, to the support of associations and to the work of the police and the judiciary.<\/p>\n

For the fight against the mafia and extortion to take a real step forward, strong and continuous commitment from politics<\/strong> is needed. It is necessary to invest in the outskirts, create job opportunities, guarantee access to education and healthcare and build concrete alternatives to organised crime<\/strong>, which in many contexts continues to act as a social safety net.<\/p>\n

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Press review<\/h5>\n