‘From Radio Aut to Radio100 passi’, in the Chamber the book by Sulis and the memory of Peppino Impastato. Don Ciotti: “Mafia? There is a climate of normalization”

The rebellion and activism of Peppino Impastato against the mafias, through the weapons of irony and irreverence, to dismantle the consensus enjoyed by the bosses. And again the re-enactment of pieces of memory and texts of the program ‘Crazy wave‘: the program with which from the microphones of its station’Radio Aut‘, breaking up with his mafia family, the young communist militant and activist of proletarian democracy – blown up by the mafia on 9 May 1978 – mocked the boss Gaetano Badalamenti. And then a journey through the meetings with the children at the radio, in the schools, at the “Casa memoria” of their mother Felicia Impastato. There is this, and more, in the book “From Radio Aut to Radio 100 Passi” by Danilo Sulis, historical friend of Peppino Impastato, presented to the Chamber of Deputies, with an initiative promoted by the M5s deputy and quaestor of the Chamber, Francesco D’Uva: an essay that was born “for young people”, explains the author, with “the aim to accompany the reader on a 40-year journey between the fight against the mafia, civil commitment, music and information “. Because to revive that experience of Radio Aut, also told by the cinema, Sulis founded Radio 100 passi.

During the presentation it was recalled how the story of Peppino Impastato was also a story of misdirection. And an investigation, the one to ascertain the responsibility of those who wanted to sidetrack the investigation into his murder, which ended, forty years later, with a statute of limitations. Only thanks to the obstinacy of his companions and his mother Felicia, who brought the evidence of the murder, it was possible to open a trial for murder. “The extraordinary thing is that after Peppino’s death Radio 100 Passi broadcast from the home of Gaetano Badalamenti, the instigator of the murder. The voice of Peppino Impastato returns to speak from the headquarters of those who had the illusion of extinguishing that voice ”, recalled Don Luigi Ciotti, who for years through Libera, has been fighting against the mafia.

“Today the country is going backwards, not forward. There is a climate of normalization, that of the mafias has become one of the many problems such as drugs, usury, agromafia, gambling. We are moving towards normalization because there is less blood, less violence. But these are the moments in which we need to invest even more because the mafia have camouflaged and are hidden, but they are even stronger. You can find them all over Europe and around the world ”, he stressed Don Luigi Ciotti. Is there a risk of standardization also on a legislative level? “Our legislation is envied all over the world, but it must be said that often the laws are instrumentally incomplete, with some ambiguities. More needs to be done, ”added Ciotti.

But not only. The founder of Libera called for a “third way” to defend women who rebel against the logic of the mafia: “They are the great protagonists of the commitment against organized crime. Women who say ‘enough’. Libera follows dozens of these women who live in eternal flight. This is unacceptable. For this reason, we are clamoring for an intervention by the legislator, which will allow us to protect these courageous women and to give them a new life ”, he hoped.

“Ciotti is right. There policy it should arrive before the judiciary, but often our moves come later ”, D’Uva also explained, on the climate of ‘normalization’ denounced by Ciotti on the fight against the mafia. And again, on the reform of life imprisonment, approved in the Justice Committee, but still awaited in Parliament (which has until May 10 to approve the new legislation on probation for murderers who do not collaborate, after the rejection of the Council and the ‘year of time granted to the legislator, ed) the pentastellato parliamentarian added: “This is a good text, I hope it will not be further amended and will soon arrive in the Chamber”.

Finally, in memory of Impastato, Ciotti added: “Today Peppino continues to talk. When I think about the story of him, my thoughts inevitably fly to Feliciahis mom, who he never sought revengebut only truth and justice“.