You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed been turned into what one politician termed the world's only entirely white town after a bloody ethnic cleansing that produced scenes reminiscent of the old American deep south As bulldozers got to work to obliterate shacks belonging to the itinerant crop-pickers who had fled the last of more than 1,000 such workers were being removed from the area for their own protection After two days and nights of violence that began with the apparently motiveless shooting of two African workers Some of the crop-pickers had been shot; others had been beaten with metal bars or wooden clubs as local people took indiscriminate vengeance after a riot of Thursday in which more than 100 Africans caused extensive damage in the town to protest at the shootings Those who fled included several hundred people who had agreed to be taken to government-run centres after reportedly being given assurances they would not be deported if found to be illegally in Italy "The law is implemented and nothing else can be done," he told a television interviewer A centre for asylum seekers near Bari took 324 immigrants The city's prefect said that more than half of those whose cases had been examined had temporary residence permits The others were destined for internment at a so-called centre for identification and expulsion In his traditional Sunday sermon to the crowd in St Peter's square yesterday the pope said: "Immigrants are human beings Violence ought never to be the way for anyone to resolve the difficulties." "But that does not give us the right to beat them Maroni criticised local authorities for turning a blind eye to the widespread adding that they had created communities of foreigners that were "bombs primed to go off" commented ironically that Rosarno was now "the only wholly white town in the world Not even South African apartheid obtained such a result." And he asked: "Who now will pick the oranges?" perhaps explaining the crop-pickers' frustration and the eagerness of some locals to get rid of their immigrant workforce the Calabrian citrus industry has been in crisis due to a fall in prices vice-president of the local farmers association He told the daily Corriere della Sera that 800m kilograms of citrus fruit were rotting on the trees Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker who work in the orange groves in the Calabrian Rosarno (Italy) made international headlines in January 2010 The reason behind this revolt was the armed attack by a group of village boys on the plantation workers who have been returning from work to their accommodations This was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back The labourers came to the marketplace of Rosarno in Calabria to protest against inhumane living conditions starvation wages of 20 to 25 euros per day and against everyday racism they had to face.The African laborers came to the marketplace of Rosarno in Calabria to protest against inhumane living conditions starvation wages of 20 to 25 euros per day and against everyday racism they had to face the population of Rosarno organized a veritable “hunting on black” Concluding this violent attack there were thirty-seven injured laborers even though police tried to intervene and disperse the mob That was four years ago – not much has changed since African plantation workers toil in all countries of Southern Europe for starvation wages plus they live in miserable accommodations and are subject to racist attacks The EU policy of isolation causes the supposedly undesirable immigrants from Africa to arrive as "illegals" in Spain and fall into the clutches of unscrupulous employment agencies and landowners Since they could be exposed at any time to the authorities they take on even the most poorly paid job and have to accept it The once flourishing agriculture in Calabria and Sicily of the orange cultivation in the 19th and early 20th centuries a source of wealth - has fallen into crisis thanks to the reserve of cheap labour from Morocco and cheaper geographical conditions can produce at a lower cost The agriculture of Sicily would have collapsed long ago without the influx of "illegal" refugees from Africa The main customers of the juice from Rosarno which uses the juice for its Fanta-production Coca Cola can dictate the price it pays (€ 0.7 per litre) for orange juice At that price it would not even cover the costs of production even if the farmers would pay normal wages A report by the magazine “Ecologist” pointed out this connection between immigrant exploitation and the prices that Coca Cola pays the farmers Coca Cola announced that it had made a contract with the farmers from Rosarno However after a short negotiation period it was withdrawn Instead Coca Cola buys less and less orange juice from Rosarno Orange juice from Brazil is the new approach because the labour there is even cheaper than the payment for the African migrant workers in Europe The President of the Farmers' Association Coldiretti Calabria even suspected that the multinational beverage companies have formed a cartel to keep the prices on the world market low the EU provides a new scheme for the allocation of agricultural subsidies Since EU grants are issued under the mounting surface and not by the quantity of production Refugee and human rights organizations say that in the situation of African labourers had not changed at least not for the better as in Rosarno and depending on the help of charities A glimmer of hope represents the SOS project Rosarno The anti-Mafia and Fair Trade organization have raised baptism of consciousness They have brought together small farmers who produce organic oranges for the distribution network "Acquisto solidale" (solidarity-based purchasing) They combined network merchants from the north of Italy to buy a product at a fair price and sell it accordingly more expensive Establishing being employed in the SOS Rosarno establishments will enable up to 50% of the African day labourers Rosarno is a place where not only the plight of migrants in Europe is visible but also the lethal effects of globalization in which the large corporations dictate the rules I hereby confirm that I wish to receive FairPlanet's newsletter. I have read, understood and confirm FairPlanet's Privacy Policy. *.Spread the wordsRepublish articleBy copying the embed code below, you agree to adhere to our republishing guidelines.  Racial Tensions Explode into ViolenceIn Italy Racial Tensions Explode into Violence5 minute readStephan Faris / RomeJanuary 12 2010 12:00 AM ESTWhen hundreds of African immigrants rioted in the southern Italian city of Rosarno last weekend the world got a glimpse of a very different Italy from the one pictured in tourist brochures shattered shop windows and street battles may be a far cry from the tranquil villages in the Tuscan hillsides the real contradiction uncovered by the violence has less to do with how Italy is perceived by outsiders than with how Italians view the country themselves Italy is one of the most rapidly changing countries in Europe according to the Catholic charity group Caritas the percentage of noncitizen residents in the country — 7.2% — was greater than Britain’s And in a country where the native-born population is aging rapidly 1 in 6 babies delivered in 2008 was born to a foreign-passport holder La dolce vita is also becoming ever more dependent on immigrants and their labor The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that foreign workers account for 9% of Italy’s annual gross domestic product They pick the fruit in the country’s orchards staff its restaurants and workshops and look after its young and elderly “If all the migrants just stopped working now the Italian economic system would collapse,” says IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo (See pictures of la dolce vita in Italy.) Yet the country retains an intensely hegemonic streak Rigid codes of behavior govern everything from how to dress to the proper time of day to drink a cappuccino with the pasta carefully segregated from the appetizer and main course and no place for a bowl of hummus or plate of egg rolls “People now accept that immigrants are here,” says Giuseppe Sciortino an immigration expert and sociology professor at the University of Trento “But they’re still in denial that they are a presence that will change Italy forever.” 7 after two African immigrants were shot by white men with pellet guns The town’s immigrants responded by burning cars and vandalizing shops prompting retaliatory attacks by residents at least 70 people — most of them migrant workers — had been injured the Pope called for tolerance and the government evacuated about 1,000 immigrants to neighboring cities to ensure their safety The migrants also received uncharacteristically sympathetic media coverage “This Time … The Negroes Are Right,” read the headline on Jan 9 in the conservative newspaper Il Giornale (See the top 10 news stories of 2009.) Seasonal migrants — mostly from Africa and Eastern Europe — have long been employed to work in the citrus orchards there a journalist for the Italian newsweekly L’Espresso he uncovered a world where beatings were common and exploitation was rife “You have no contract — no rights,” Gatti says The international aid group Doctors Without Borders — best known for its work in war zones — considers the conditions so bad that it runs a clinic catering to workers who live in abandoned factories with no access to running water or basic health care and they are the victims of exploitation and violence,” says Sophie Baylac who coordinates the group’s migrant programs in Europe “The situation last weekend is a symptom of the ongoing neglect suffered by seasonal migrants.” (See pictures of migrants being forced out in France.) But not everybody is sympathetic to the migrants a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League Party blamed the riots on his country’s lax approach to undocumented workers “For years illegal immigration — which feeds criminal activities — has been tolerated and nothing effective has ever been done about it,” he said Never mind that the IOM estimates that at least half of the evacuated workers now held in reception centers obtained regular working papers Or the fact that migrant workers make up a vital part of many industries “It’s very difficult to crack down on illegal immigrants because it means cracking down on one of the key structures of the Italian economy,” says Sciortino The challenge for Italy is to match its policies with reality About 20% of Italy’s foreign population is under age 18 Many of these people know no other home other than the land that won’t accept them as its own Italians don’t like to think they’re racist but it would be hard to find a dark-skinned resident who agrees “We’re creating a group of people who are heavily marginalized and will react the way that marginalized people react,” says Sciortino If the country wants to avoid clashes like the one in Rosarno it will have to shift its efforts from keeping immigrants out to finding a way to fit them in Read “An Italian Town’s White (No Foreigners) Christmas.” See pictures of Italians in America. Contact us at letters@time.com The dramatic events that unfolded recently in the small southern Italian town of Rosarno highlight the terrible conditions that immigrant workers have to suffer in many parts of Europe The bosses try and use the tactic of “divide and rule” to pit poor immigrant against poor Italian workers It is the task of the labour movement organisations to offer an alternative and campaign to unite all workers against the real enemies The recent developments in a little town called Rosarno in southern Italy reveal that in “civilised” Europe we already have elements of barbarism which are being aggravated by the economic crisis Rosarno is situated in the southern Italian region of Calabria On 7th January hundreds of immigrant workers from Africa were rampaging through the town destroying shop windows and cars on their way and conducting a street battle with the police The trigger for this sudden explosion of anger was when earlier in the day two Italian youths opened fire with an air gun from a car shooting and wounding two workers from Africa who earn their money fruit picking in the town One of them is an officially recognised political refugee from Togo with legal papers to reside in Italy It is not the first time African workers have protested in Rosarno In December 2008 two immigrant workers were shot and seriously wounded Then African workers also protested – at that time peacefully ‑ against the way they were being treated and against their appalling living and working conditions This protest also led to the arrest of three businessmen as they had clearly been holding workers in slave like conditions The region where Rosarno is situated is controlled by the ’Ndrangheta At their will factories are opened and closed especially the ones for the processing of agricultural products like olives and oranges In this way they also get subsidies from the state and the European Union for the “development” of the south Around 2,500 immigrant workers were living in and around Rosarno They were either living in abandoned factories or shanties made out of cardboard and wooden boards For the 1,000 workers who lived in an abandoned factory there were only 8 toilets and 3 showers There was no electricity and until last year no running water The living conditions of these workers were described by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) simply as “terrible” Immigrant farm labourers earn around 25 Euros for a 12 to 14 hour working day. According to The Economist out of this they often “cede €5 to overseers suspected of links with the ’Ndrangheta.” According to the CGIL trade union, about 50,000 immigrant workers around the country live in poor conditions similar to those in Rosarno. The union also says immigrants are paid “miserable salaries and have terrible hours, similar to slavery”. [1] All this hardship has been inflicted on these people after they left their home countries Tens of thousands of Africans – asylum seekers political refugees and unemployed ‑ every year attempt to make their way to Europe in the hope of a better life On their way they are often handed from smuggler to smuggler who make their money out of these desperate people and they are packed into makeshift boats trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea An unknown number of them do not arrive at their destination as they drown on the open sea after their boats sink The bosses in Europe then exploit these “illegal” immigrants counting on the fact that they will not rebel as they could easily be deported In 1992 the first African workers arrived in Calabria They were forced to work for very little money – being made to pay by the bosses for the falling price of oranges in the recent years But this year there was not much work to do The last season saw a much lower level of production of oranges due to bad weather oranges from Rosarno became uncompetitive on the world market “On December 11th the Italian farmers’ confederation said that the local citrus industry had been made ‘unsustainable’ by a flood of cheap Spanish oranges and Brazilian orange juice Imported concentrate could be bought for €1.27 a kilo—53 cents less than production cost in Italy The Rosarno riots were thus partly about the failure of southern Italy’s economy to cope with globalisation.“ “[…] many farmers preferred to leave their fruit to rot because it would cost more to get it picked than they could earn selling it. The lack of work (and profit) intensified the bitterness among outsiders and locals alike.” [2] Antonio Lupini, vice-president of the local farmers’ association, told the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera that 800 million kilograms of citrus fruit were rotting on the trees. [3] This portrays in a twofold way the insanity of this inhuman economic system Tons and tons of foodstuff is lying waste in the field while millions of people worldwide suffer hunger and thousands of workers who are ready to work in order to earn their living are forced to sit around doing nothing These workers were only useful to their employers as long as they could make money out of them when they were treated with disdain and forced to live like animals This is the real reason behind the latest rebellion in Rosarno The racist attack was only the straw that broke the camel’s back The workers have said enough is enough and have rebelled One day after the above mentioned rebellion the protest continued The protestors carried placards saying “We are not animals” calling attention to their desperate situation They marched to the town hall where they demanded to see a government representative The situation got heated when local residents set up a barricade near a meeting place for the immigrants Media reports say that despite heavy police presence two immigrants were beaten with metal bars so ruthlessly that one of the wounded had to be taken to hospital for brain surgery Five other immigrants were deliberately run over by vehicles and two other immigrants were hit in the legs with shotgun pellets In all 67 people were injured: 31 immigrants Francesco Forgione is a former head of Italy's parliamentary anti-mafia commission. He said that “This is the very first time the Africans rebel against the local 'Ndrangheta mafia which dominates the fruit and vegetable businesses.” He continued that, “during their protest they even surrounded the house of an old boss in the Pesce clan, which is powerful locally, something the Calabrians have never done.” [4] bulldozers began demolishing the shanty towns and the few possessions the fruit pickers had Over 1,000 African workers had either been evacuated by police or had fled voluntarily Seven of them were left behind in local hospitals recovering from gunshot wounds and savage beatings These workers were brought to holding centres in other parts of the south said more than half of those who had been examined had temporary residence permits The others were taken for internment at a so-called centre for identification and expulsion who is from the right-wing and xenophobic Lega Nord [Northern League] party claimed the tensions were a result of “too much tolerance towards clandestine immigration” thus trying to put the blame on the African workers are an important pillar of the Italian agricultural economy or the fact that many of them are illegal in Italy “many sustain parts of the economy that would otherwise be uncompetitive.” The Berlusconi government is on the one hand trying to further tighten racist laws and on the other is also coming out with vote catching statements like the ones above once these immigrant workers start to resist It is no wonder that the right-wing agitation “against foreigners” is getting some echo in times of rising unemployment precarious working conditions and the erosion of purchasing power – especially when there is no clear alternative put forward by the trade unions and the working class parties The division between “residents” and “foreigners” is consciously promoted in order to provoke a conflict within the working class thus allowing the mafia and employers to profit It is a conflict between the most exploited layers of society which only further deteriorates their working and living conditions This war between the poor is only increasing the power of a few privileged The polarization in the last decade between rich and poor has grown considerably in 2008 ten percent of Italian households held 48% of the country's wealth (in 2000 this figure was at 41%) whereas half of Italian families owned only 10% (in 2000 this was 23%) while millions of working families are becoming poorer The poison of racism is always a powerful tool of the ruling class in times when the anger that should be directed against the very system that is responsible for their dire situation is directed against the brothers and sister of their own class The struggle for human living and working conditions to live in dignity and against every form of discrimination of skin colour religion or gender must be a focal point of the trade unions and the left in the case of Italy especially of the PRC It is necessary to effectively oppose every legal discrimination in the form of racist laws oppose the attacks of the employers and also tackle the problems of the employment situation for workers in general Racial hatred and violent attacks against immigrant workers and their organisations must be responded to not with empty appeals to the state or the police to intervene but by organising defence for these class brothers and sisters It is vital for the working class parties all over the world to link up the struggle of immigrant workers with resident workers as for example the struggle of the African fruit pickers with the struggle of Italian workers There is no fundamental difference between the immigrant worker who is exploited in the orange groves in Calabria and the resident worker who works in underpaid precarious conditions in a factory or a shopping mall They are all victims of an exploitative system which is driven by the logic of the market and profit And the mafia is just an extreme expression of this logic The events in Rosarno are an extreme example when the contradictions in a society that were building up over a time suddenly come to surface in an explosion All over Italy there are groups of workers involved in industrial action or are occupying their factories have been occupying several plants of the company for months as a response to the sacking of around 2,000 workers They can be an important ally of the immigrant workers as they share the same economic concerns and the same class interests We have to build for the unity of all workers The contradictions of capitalism exist in the rest of Europe and in all the other countries of the globe In the words of the Communist Manifesto: “The working men have no country.” [1] Scores injured, migrants evacuated after days of unrest [2] Southern misery [3] Southern Italian town world's 'only white town' after ethnic cleansing [4] Italians cheer as police move African immigrants out after clashes with locals [5] Scores injured, migrants evacuated after days of unrest If you want more information about joining the RCI, fill in this form. We will get back to you as soon as possible.NameEmailPhone numberCountryState / provinceCityWhy do you want to join?Do you agree with our Privacy Policy?Send This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. Maria Concetta Cacciola's destiny was sealed at birth when she was born into the 'Ndrangheta. (Supplied) Link copiedShareShare articleProsecutors say more women from inside Italian mafia organisations are turning against their criminal relatives and collaborating with authorities. Connie Agius travelled to Calabria to investigate the issue. This is not another story about an honour killing in an Islamic country. It's about a young woman in "modern", post-Enlightenment Italy. Married at 13 and pregnant by 15, the story of Maria Concetta Cacciola offers an insight into the life of a woman born into the 'Ndrangheta — the mafia group that has adopted the region commonly known as Italy's "toe" as their home. I asked a doctor to describe Maria Concetta's last moments of life after deliberately swallowing acid, and he said the poisonous liquid would have burnt her mouth at the first touch. It would then run like an aggressive rampaging river down her throat, along her oesophagus, eventually reaching her stomach. Every drop set her body afire from the inside. She would eventually stop convulsing, her organs would shut down, her heart would give up and she would die. Dr Giuseppe Creazzo is the chief prosecutor in the northern Italian city of Florence, but until 2013 he worked in the anti-mafia division in Calabria. He learned about the Cacciola family through his investigations. "The Cacciola family is one of the most powerful family of 'Ndrangheta in Rosarno, along with the Pesce family and the Bellocco family, of whom they are also relatives," Dr Creazzo said. It's not just drug trafficking and money laundering — court documents outline the power of this family and their use of corrupt politicians, lawyers and businessmen to secure lucrative contracts. Maria Concetta Cacciola was raised in Rosarno, a small town famous for its citrus fruit and acres of farmland. (ABC News: Connie Agius) Maria Concetta's destiny was sealed at birth because only relatives can be indoctrinated into the 'Ndrangheta. The name 'Ndrangheta comes from the Greek: it means courage and loyalty. They're two things the mafia's members claim underpin the powerful and ruthless organisation. Each family or clan is autonomous, but united by the mafia's code of honour. The rules are feudal in nature. Sons are educated from birth to become the next generation of criminal bosses. Daughters are forced to marry these young mafiosi, sometimes before puberty. Maria Concetta is an example of how this system is put into practice. She was engaged by 12, married at 13, and pregnant with her first child at 15. It was the first of three children for the young couple. 'Ndrangheta women normally have no choice of life partner, and some don't even marry outside the family — they're forced to marry cousins. The wedding vows are a tool to ensure the longevity of a "pure" 'Ndrangheta bloodline. In some instances, arranged marriages are also used to resolve feuds or build business alliances. It's these ties of blood that let the mafia manipulate the concept of family loyalty and lock away their criminal secret dealings. This is called omerta — or a vow of silence. Police investigations prove the organisation has exported this 'Family' model to Australia, which has allowed the 'Ndrangheta to flourish in Australia since the 1920s. It's made them almost impenetrable to authorities. Some women accept the rules and support the criminal family — Maria Concetta wanted to escape the 'Ndrangheta's system. "She went to the Carabineri [military police] to propose a collaboration with the justice because her family was a well-placed 'ndrangheta family and she knew a lot," Dr Creazzo said. "Immediately, she was put under a witness protection program, which is something the state does for everyone who wants to cooperate with the justice in order to provide that they're not killed." Maria Concetta was completely isolated. She had fled without her children and wrote a letter to her mother to explain her decision. "I was married at 13. It ruined our lives. It's everything that I didn't want. I wanted peace, love, to feel, to be myself. Life has brought me nothing but pain," she wrote. Maria Concetta thought she was close enough to her mother that she would understand her decision to collaborate with justice. She was wrong. The annual religious festival, Madonna di Polsi, that the 'ndrangheta has used to hold their yearly meetings. (ABC News: Connie Agius) Initially she revelled in her new found freedom. "She had various love stories when she went away from her family because she was so repressed when she was in the family. Being finally free she also freed her feelings," Dr Creazzo said. "The important thing is that it was the first time that she was self-determinating. She never had the freedom to choose for herself." That ability to make her own decisions may have been part of her downfall. "The mistake was deciding and asking specifically to let her children stay with their grandparents, so her parents," Dr Creazzo said. Maria Concetta's children became a bargaining chip. "Her own family decide to exploit this weakness, saying if you don't come back you are never going to see your children again," Dr Creazzo said. "Her parents and brothers — everyone is a Mafioso," Dr Creazzo said. "They knew that Maria Concetta was very dangerous if she started to talk. She could have posed a danger to the family. "They needed to silence her because of the honour of the family. "Because having a pentito [criminal informant] in the family, it's a dishonourable thing to have." Her father and brother picked her up in northern Italy. "Coming back, they took her directly to the lawyer's office to check what she had said in collaboration," Dr Creazzo said. "She was forced to record a tape taking back all she had said, saying that the things she had said were not true and she had done it only to anger her family because they had argued." Florence's chief prosecutor Guiseppe Creazzo led the investigation into the death of Maria Concetta Cacciola. (Supplied: Francesco Creazzo) The family home, already almost a jail, now turned into a dungeon. Maria Concetta then contacted the police. "I am scared. Maybe not directly of my family, of my father, like not right now, but there is the whole context," she said. "Things are getting out, that I have been with the law." Maria Concetta wanted to take her children and leave the mafia family forever. "Her officer set a date to get her out of the house," Dr Creazzo said. "Some hours before, she calls the officer and says my daughter has a fever. We have to reschedule." Maria Concetta went down to the basement after that phone call. She swallowed a highly corrosive form of acid. The coronial inquiry into Maria Concetta's death highlighted the restrictions placed on her. "That she could not go out by herself. They also found letters that describe being held captive," Dr Creazzo said. "She also denounces being beaten by her family." Maria Concetta's father, mother and brother were arrested. Maria Concetta Cacciola brother [L], mother [C] and father. (Supplied) "The trial started of family harassment that ended in suicide. For this crime, the Italian law has a maximum of 20 years in jail." More evidence came to light about the circumstances surrounding her death. The coroner made mistakes. "He hadn't reported some scratches she had around her wrists, and other injuries, which were compatible with a murder. She was held by force," Dr Creazzo said. Who actually held Maria Concetta Cacciola and poured acid down her throat is still unknown. Authorities have said they are investigating another 10 "suicides" that are similar in nature on the suspicion of the 'ndrangheta's involvement. "These case acknowledge the real power of the 'Ndrangheta," Dr Creazzo said. "The Maria Concetta Cacciola case is one that gives us a precise idea of what it means to be in one of these families." "She was a courageous, brave woman. She rebelled the silence and submission that are typical of the 'Ndrangheta, that hold the 'Ndrangheta together. "She's not the only woman who has done this." Other cases have also ended in death, like the famous case of Lea Garofalo, but some women have survived and are living in witness protection, like Maria Concetta Cacciola's relative, Giuseppina Pesce. Dr Creazzo has seen how the actions of these women are influencing others. "The fact that a woman rebels is something that really worries the 'Ndrangheta because the women are the ones that are responsible for educating the children to the values of the 'Ndrangheta," he explained. Dr Roberto Di Bella, the president of the Juvenile Court in Reggio Calabria, agreed with Dr Creazzo and has taken it upon himself to support the women and children who want to escape the 'Ndrangheta. Since 2011, he has removed more than 40 children from mafia families based on evidence that their well-being was at risk. Some of those children have been re-educated, counselled, and introduced to a life without crime. "More women and children are now coming forward for help," Dr Di Bella said. His claim is supported by statistics from the Ministry of Justice that show the number of 'Ndrangheta women who have collaborated with the state has more than doubled since 2005. "The child will grow up immediately and copying what his or her mother taught him," Dr Creazzo said. The 'Ndrangheta's unspeakable cruelty has left three children without a mother. They visit Maria Concetta's grave every Sunday to lay flowers. I'm told that one child would eventually like to study psychology. I can't help but wonder if they'll ever answer the question that haunts anti-mafia prosecutors: How could Maria Concetta's family have treated her with such hate? CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) 2018 – It is with great sorrow and indignation that ECVC and its Italian member ARI learned today of the murder of Soumaila Sacko militant of the USB (Union Sindicale de Base – Italian trade union) and agricultural seasonal worker in the Plains of Rosarno/Gioia Tauro was shot in the head on Saturday night in the Calimera district of San Calogero while looking with two other compatriots for plates for their shacks All three lived in the area of ​​the tent city of San Ferdinando home to other day-laborers working in the fields in the plains of Gioia Tauro which can gather over 4,000 migrant laborers during the harvesting season Used as labor in the collection of low-cost citrus fruit from the producers of oranges most of these migrant day-laborers stay in San Ferdinando where serious sanitary deficiencies endure ECVC and ARI join and reiterate the call of strike and the summoning of public assemblies announced by USB for today The murder of Soumaila Sacko is no random murder He was always at the forefront of the struggles of the USB Trade Union and for the social rights of workers We are seriously worried that the current political context of Italy with declarations from its Interior Minister telling migrants to “pack their bags” and that “the party’s over” will only serve to instigate and promote more of these horrendous acts The harsh reality experienced by migrant seasonal agricultural workers must be unveiled and addressed urgently: their exploitation and how this is instigated by the agro-industrial model in direct relation to the EU’s current agricultural and neoliberal policies We are aware that for those who desperately need to work giving up a day’s work represents a huge sacrifice but we are more than convinced that the time has come to make a stand and stop production in the Plains of Rosarno Together with our comrades of USB and our Italian member ARI we will not allow Italy’s and Europe’s racist doctrine to have the last word Fabrizio Garbarino – ARI (Associazione Rurale Italiana) : +39 331 90 92 823 (IT Federico Pacheco – ECVC Coordinating Committee : +34 690 651 046 (ES,FR) Nino Quaranta – ARI (Associazione Rurale Italiana) : +39 329 10 57 495 (IT This post is also available in Español Thousands of migrants are living in squalid conditions in Rosarno harvesting oranges for consumers across Europe Southern Italy is known for its fine food but visitors might be shocked to learn that its famous countryside and farmland – in particular its citrus groves and tomato fields – are the setting for a modern-day story of exploitation and inequality Each year, thousands of migrant workers – predominantly from Africa, but also Eastern Europe and other parts of Italy (some legal, some illegal) – flock to the region looking for work in the seasonal fruit and vegetable harvests Official estimates of numbers are hard to come by but the Italian farmer group Coldiretti estimates around 120,000 migrants are working in the agricultural sector in southern Italy The town of Rosarno in southern Italy has long been home to migrants working in the orange sector.Some cash-strapped farmers often working in conjunction with middlemen – or gangmasters – are only too happy to take advantage of this ready supply of cheap labour And the farmers say that the prices they receive from buyers aren’t sufficient to sustain more permanent workers and regular wages In 2012, an investigation uncovered the plight of migrants employed in Southern Italy’s orange harvest Many were found to be living in squalid conditions others in abandoned farmhouses or derelict factories; some were found to be sleeping in the open migrants were found to receive around €25 (£19) with deductions by gangmasters for transport and lunch The revelations prompted an outcry across Italy and pledges from the Coca-Cola Company – which was found to be using orange ingredients from the region in its European-sold Fanta drinks – to extend its auditing of suppliers and facilitate talks to improve conditions across the supply chain Migrants in Rosarno have in the past been found squatting in factories Photograph: Christian SinibaldiFour years on from the scandal Coca-Cola says it has now upgraded how it assesses suppliers to check on the recruitment and employment of migrant workers but with record numbers of refugees and migrants now entering the EU the situation in Rosarno is still precarious When we go in a supermarket or market we don’t know anything about the oranges ... which harvest, who picked them“The more desperate workers are the more they can be blackmailed by gangmasters or the owners. If you are not happy with the working conditions there are hundreds like you around the corner,” says Celeste Logiacco from the FLAI CGIL Calabria (Union of Agricultural Workers). The authorities can now penalise companies employing gangmasters, but the NGO Terra!, which campaigns for greater transparancy in the sector, says that tackling the problem has proved difficult because of the complex nature of the orange supply chain, meaning it is easy for companies to avoid responsibility. “The problem in the orange chain is the number of passages of the product,” says campaigner Fabio Ciconte. “The small producer sells the oranges either to an organisation of producers or to a buyer who sells to a big supermarket. When we go in a supermarket or market we don’t know anything about the oranges, where they come from, which harvest, who picked them.” Coca-Cola says that all its suppliers are based in Sicily, but it could be sourcing oranges that had been harvested in the Rosarno region and shipped to Sicily. However, it said it had audited all its suppliers in Sicily and taken action to reduce the risk of it being linked to the exploitation of migrants. Read more“All suppliers are required to meet our supplier guiding principles These highlight the expectations of suppliers and emphasise the importance of responsible workplace practices that respect human rights and comply with applicable environmental and local labour laws and core international conventions,” said a spokesperson who added that Coca-Cola had also been supporting projects in the Rosarno region that helped migrant workers Many farmers acknowledge the conditions of migrant workers, but say the root of the problem lies in the economic situation. “If you are a small producer you have two solutions: one, leave the oranges on the trees, or two, exploit [those] weaker than you,” says Nino Quaranta, a producer and founder of SosRosarno a cooperative fighting the workers exploitation in orange harvesting The companies procuring juice and other orange products from the region say they are not responsible for fixing the prices paid for raw materials and to farmers “Our associates don’t harvest oranges or have direct contacts with the producers They buy juice from transformation industries that buy oranges from consortiums and producers,” says David Dabiankov Lorini president of the soft drinks association Assobibe which includes Coca-Cola among its members Although acknowledging the problems facing migrant workers in the region Lorini points out that his sector is not the only destination for Rosarno’s orange harvest with just 7% of Italian citrus production going into the juice and aromas industry which is supported by the Con il Sud Foundation delivers medical care and legal assistance three days a week to approximately 1,500 foreign farm labourers living in precarious settlements in the Plain and scattered old containers across the municipalities of Rosarno The inhabitants of the settlements are predominantly young men with an average age of 35 Despite having resided in Italy for an extended period (88% for over three years) It is important to note that 92% of the ninety-four people who received assistance in the first quarter of 2023 either from a health or socio-legal standpoint a large number of the workers had residence permits for asylum-seeking (39%) while another 1% held a residence permit awaiting employment The dire conditions described since MEDU’s initial presence in the Plain in 2013 appear even more grotesque and paradoxical when contrasting the inhumane images of life in the informal settlements with those of completed yet unused container camps or vacant apartment buildings confiscated from the mafia remarkably were recently renovated to promote decent housing € 5.5 million were spent on accommodations that never opened their doors €3 million came from the European Union and were allocated for the construction of six buildings with a total of 36 apartments in Rosarno The Ministry of the Interior provided an additional €2 million for the “Village of Solidarity,” located on confiscated land from the Bellocco clan €650,000 were invested to develop a multipurpose center in the municipality of Taurianova Despite this, the civil society gave a bold and forward-thinking example. Two years ago, The “Dambe So” labourers’ hostel an initiative of the Mediterranean Hope project by the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI) the project has provided housing to dozens of people in seven apartments and has recently opened new accommodations in the municipality of Taurianova is at the same time financially and socially sustainable It integrates the themes of housing and employment ensuring the active involvement of farm labourers as individuals with legal and citizenship rights by also ensuring participation from the local community An excerpt from the project’s blog “Open Campaigns: Laboratory for Territorial Practices to Promote the Dignity of Life and Work” at www.esperienzeconilsud.it The triennal strategic plan of Fondazione Con il Sud for the 2025-2027 triennium The annual report of Fondazione con il Sud is available for download that aims to raise public awareness about mental health issues in adolescents and promote active involvement of young people A fully-funded vocational training program specializing in audiovisual and film production designed for NEET the project aims to support social enterprises in the green transition where MEDU (Doctors for Human Rights) has provides ongoing medical care and legal assistance to farm labourers A truly special performance unfolded last month in Naples' Secondigliano prison where globally acclaimed artist Sting delivered a moving rendition of “Fragile” alogside the Quartetto del Mare During NIAF's 48th Anniversary Gala in Washington attended by the US President and First Lady an international fundraising campaign was initiated by the National Italian American Foundation They aim to raise 300,000 euros for the creation of the "Academy of Neapolitan Nativity Art" The launch of the Stazione Ninfeo project is a result of the Agreement between the Municipality of Lecce and Fondazione Con il Sud A project in Foggia is taking care of the health and social well-being of migrants who have settled mainly in one city area Progetto “Noi in Biblioteca con Voi” sostenuto da Fondazione con il Sud e Centro per il libro e la lettura del Ministero della Cultura.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc_kHupqjFo   Gestione segnalazioni – Whistleblowing The "Blu Notte" operation carried out by the Carabinieri of Reggio Calabria has revealed the links between a powerful gang of the 'Ndrangheta and the sword clan of Ostia As many as 93 precautionary measures were carried out and From mobile phones peddled in the maximum security prison of Lanciano to establishing a negotiation for the sale of cocaine A story that also describes the strong influence of the Calabrian clan on the Roman coast and Lazio pivot of the story are the brothers Ramy and Samy Serour the boss Umberto Bellocco of the homonymous powerful gang of the Ndrangheta of Reggio Calabria belonging to the clan of the sword of Ostia and sentenced to 12 years for criminal association The Roman is active in the traffic of telephones infiltrated into the prison through the wives of other prisoners Telephones necessary for the boss to manage his affairs directly from the super prison of Villa Stanazzo The phones purchased by Manuel Granaro arrive through Guendalina Bersanti A way for Serour to enter the "thanks" of the boss Bellocco “The truth bro – says Ramy Serour in a phone call in October 2019 with a friend under house arrest in Anzio intercepted during the Blu Notte investigation and contained in the ordinance viewed by “Agenzia Nova” – the truth A proud talk for having entered the circle that counts The same friend from Anzio calls him back a few days later with a problem and tells him that "yesterday we had a big problem something to solve - the young man from Anzio says on the phone - we have the problem with the friend from your friend who is in there it seems that some affiliates of the gang had created frictions with the Anzio cliques “I understand – Ramy Serour replies – Now I'll see if tomorrow I'll see if anyone can send us someone." Something happened when just two days later the young man from Anzio said that the father of the boy who was in charge of the "calabretti" had gone to apologize “But when I told him your friend's name – says the young man under house arrest from Anzio in Serour referring to Umberto Bellocco – between I tell you he was putting on He said to me 'do you really know him?' I told him why not A relationship that has evidently cemented as the families have continued to do business While Ramy was at the center of mobile phone trafficking in Lanciano prison his brother Samy appears in a negotiation for the purchase of cocaine commissioned by Ostia from the same Calabrian clan The negotiation for the purchase of a large batch of cocaine by the Spadas began when Gioacchino Bonarrigo was released from prison in Rome on 24 January 2020 Bellocco to have had contact with the Spada of Ostia interested in buying large quantities of cocaine Long and prudent negotiations between the two organizations; then on June 17 Bonarrigo himself is instructed to leave for Ostia and meets Samy Serour in via Rutilio Namaziano The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Please log in here to leave a comment Thousands of immigrants prot-ested against racism in a southern Italian town yesterday after a night of rioting sparked by an attack on African farm workers by a gang of white youths In one of Italy's worst episodes of racial unrest in years smashed car windows with steel bars and stones and set cars and rubbish bins on fire late into Thursday night Police said at least one car was attacked while passengers were inside - several of whom were injured Police said seven immigrants were arrested The incidents took place after white youths in a car fired air rifles at a group of African immigrants returning from work on farms "Those guys were firing at us as if it were a fair ground I was screaming and there were other cars passing by but nobody stopped Yesterday morning some 2,000 immigrants demonstrated in front of the town hall to protest against what they said was racist treatment by many locals Some shouted "we are not animals" and carried signs reading "Italians here are racist" Scattered acts of vandalism by immigrants continued yesterday morning as some smashed store windows Police said that in two separate incidents Rosarno residents had tried to run over immigrants with their cars Schools and many shops were closed as tensions remained high One white resident fired live ammunition in the air from a terrace although some feared more violence during the night Interior Minister Roberto Maroni ordered more police to the area and set up a task force to look into the causes of the violence from the far-right Northern League party that is a junior partner in Silvio Berlusconi's government sparked controversy when he said one of the reasons for the violence was that illegal immigration had been "tolerated all these years" Opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani and several centre-left politicians accused Mr Maroni of fuelling the tensions we have to go to the roots of the problem: Mafia xenophobia and racism," Mr Bersani said please register for free or log in to your account A street in Milan turned into a Wild West scene when during a clash between members of neo-fascist organizations and Inter fans a 36-year-old mafia heir was killed instantly and a 49-year-old Inter fan leader was injured The altercation occurred in the morning on via Nino Besozzi in Cernusco sul Naviglio was an heir to the Rosarno faction of the Calabrian mafia The perpetrator is believed to be the injured Andrea Beretta who was taken to San Raffaele Hospital in Milan after being shot in the leg Beretta is reportedly the one who stabbed Belocco to death Sparatoria a Cernusco sul Naviglio, ucciso Antonio Bellocco, erede del clan di Rosarno. Ferito l’ultras dell’Inter Andrea Beretta. L’ipotesi di un regolamento di conti https://t.co/q13yiNdyGn pic.twitter.com/sxPWJQ07Va which is a hangout for Inter fans and neo-fascists from Casa Pound Italian police are continuing their investigations to clarify the motives; however it has been confirmed that the fight is not related to football issues Italian media warn that the murder threatens to spark an explosion of violence among organized crime elements initial findings suggest that Belocco initiated the attack by shooting at Beretta retaliated with two knife wounds to Belocco’s neck The deadly altercation occurred around noon The area has been cordoned off by the Carabinieri with police forces from the headquarters and the intelligence unit present at the scene who had previously been convicted of organized crime was the nephew of the historical boss of the Rosarno faction which has been well-established in northern Italy for some time Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr