http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26100359-2703,00.html
Young women of Sicily fight back against mafia Dan McDougall, in Palermo | September 21, 2009 Article from: The Australian A GROUP of young women is standing up to the mafia in its Sicilian heartland by refusing to contribute towards the $145million a year it demands from businesses on the island in protection money. Five years ago, businesses banded together to fight the mob and founded Addiopizzo, meaning Goodbye Pizzo - a reference to the notorious 10 per cent levy imposed on the entire business community by the Cosa Nostra. At first, Addiopizzo's members were forced to remain anonymous, fearing reprisals. Now the women are coming out of the shadows. "At the end of each month in Palermo, the mafia will be standing on the pavement as you open the shutters of your business," said Silvia Pellegrino, 28. "They'll carry revolvers in their pockets. Two henchmen stay back in a parked car. Their chat will be trivial but menacing. They'll ask after your parents, your friends and name names to let you know they can get to any part of your life, and then they ask for their pizzo." The group is preparing to ask tourists and locals alike to support businesses that refuse to pay off the gangsters. It has the support of 300 firms in and around Palermo, including hotels, bars, restaurants and even a bank. Women, who make up 60 per cent of the membership, have proved among its most courageous members. Today the pizzo remains a key source of mafia funding. Members of Addiopizzo receive constant death threats and most have relatives who have reluctantly given in to extortion or were killed when they defied the gangs. Ms Pellegrino estimates that 80 per cent of the city's businesses still succumb to mafia pressure. "To me, that's no life," she said. "We don't have the police on our side, as many of them are bought off by the Cosa Nostra, but we have become so much stronger as a collective that we're becoming a thorn in the mafia's side. "If anything happens to us young women, it's the mafia who'll get the blame." Younger women on the island had at last found the confidence to stand up against organised crime, Ms Pellegrino said. But she admitted: "We're not immune from threats ourselves. We humiliate them, so we've become targets. Some of our members' homes have been sent letter bombs. Our families are threatened but we won't give up our campaign." According to Lidia Cervillera, 27, another organiser, visitors to Sicily would find it impossible to avoid propping up the mob, even if they tried to use only Addiopizzo firms. "We believe the Cosa Nostra still extorts pound stg. 130 million ($243m) from Sicily." She added that the mob's 10 per cent levy included everything from taxis to car parks and ice-cream parlours. "My job is to persuade these small family businesses to say, 'No! No more money for anything'." Ms Cervillera's mission is personal. Her uncle, a police officer who refused to take mafia bribes, was killed by a car-bomb. Her mother was also threatened. "For me, for my generation, this is about making a stand, about drawing a line in the sand and saying "no more'," she said. "That's why we stay up late at night, printing leaflets, posters and T-shirts - because this campaign is about life and death." The anti-mafia campaigners believe they are making real progress. Last month, Palermo saw its first Addiopizzo wedding. The couple used only wedding suppliers belonging to the organisation, including the dress designer, caterers, and shops where guests could buy gifts. Every small victory brings hope to the campaigners. "By the time I'm old," said Ms Capri, "we'll perhaps all have a pizzo-free life and look back on what we're doing here with pride." The Sunday Times [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
