«
Perhaps they would want makes me to be silent but the deafs-mute
are silent, the aphonic
are silent … I speak!»
(A. Vecchio)
“If
you don’t comply with demands for “pizzo” (extortion)
I support you”
Exactly two years after vigorously papering Palermo in posters,
the anti-mafia movement known as “Addiopizzo” (Down
with extortion) appears also in Catania.
That night a group of young people of about 25 years old, knowing
full well that individuals can effect change and wanting to be
part of the change, launched their first tangible sign of protest
by sticking thousand of adhesives in the historic centre of Catania
with this now popular phrase “People who pay “pizzo”
are people without dignity”.
At this time, the Addiopizzo committee’s primary objective
is to give as much information as they can to empower consumers,
to highlight how much power the consumer has, and how the conscious
use of this power will make merchants aware that not paying the
“pizzo” is not just a choice of dignity, but it is
also an economically viable choice.
The committee is currently engaged in implementing a series of
tasks designed to encourage people to sign the citizen/consumer
manifesto; the message is: not to purchase where convenient, but
to strategically patronize vendors who avoid paying the “pizzo”;
our patronage should not be an end unto itself, but a sign of
our support for a merchant’s ethical conduct.
The project’s second phase involves providing vendors with
a pledge from 2000 or 3000 clients to support merchants who are
on side.
A certified committee composed of people with a certain public
profile and unquestioned morals will evaluate and authenticate
the vendors’ efforts, including in a final list only those
who are effectively deemed as not involved in any secret pact
with the mafia.
Furthermore, the committee is also currently engaged in an antimafia
awareness campaign in schools.
The challenge is try to shake this sleepy city from its slumber,
goad the Catanesi citizen into awareness and keeping the “pizzo”
issue alive, in a constant way, gradually forming not only a savvy
group of conscious consumers, but citizens conscious of their
proper role and of their proper power in a civilized society.
Support us using
the forum!
[thanks to Stefania
Spitalieri]
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