If it succeeds in its lofty aims, the first shop in Palermo showcasing goods from businesses who refuse to pay Mafia extortion fees will eventually be forced out of business.
"If everyone was like him [a neighboring baker who broke the omerta code of silence and spoke out in court against the Mafia], I'd be out of business," co-owner Fabio Messina said at the store opening on Saturday night.
That would mean "everyone [refusing] to pay the pizzo."
PHOTO: AFP
But that is the symbolic value behind the appearance of this unusual store on one of the Sicilian capital's main streets.
It comes four years after a grassroots revolt when mysterious stickers appeared on walls throughout the city, reading simply: "People who pay racketeers are people without dignity."
The movement started by enterprising students later spawned "Addiopizzo," a Sicilian trade grouping of companies who refuse to pay protection money, of which Messina and girlfriend partner Valeria Di Leo, 28, are members.
"Even the tiniest purchase, no matter how inexpensive, is enough to send out a signal so that things can change," Di Leo said.
Curious onlookers can browse offerings such as oil, honey, pasta, wine or handicrafts and jewelry, produced by some 30 distinct businesses, in the 55m2 store.
"We haven't received any political backing, and in any case, I never expected we would get that," Messina said.
The baker, Vincenzo Conticello, operates just a few hundred meters from the shop inevitably dubbed "Pizzo-free" by locals.
And Messina believes that forcing consumers to address the issue in such a provocative fashion is the best way to trigger a change in attitudes to the Cosa Nostra.
According to one study published in January, nearly 1 billion euros (US$1.5 billion) finds its way into the hands of the Mafia each year, 1.3 percent of Sicily's GDP.
Figures from Palermo University, show the pizzo averages 457 euros a month for retail traders and 578 euros for hotels and restaurants, but construction companies are asked to pay more than 2,000 euros per month according to economic daily figures in the Il Sole-24 Ore.
"The idea of such a shop is as delicious as it is simple," said Enrico Colaianni, president of another association of entrepreneurs and business figures fighting the racketeers' demands.
"All you need to do is introduce consumers to producers, neither of whom want to pay the pizzo, and bring about a common bond, a more ethical consumption and a client loyalty which is absolutely guaranteed," he said.
His organization, Libero Futuro, is named after one such entrepreneur, Libero Grassi, assassinated in 1991 for having dared to speak out publicly against Mafia extortion.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College