Mattarella: continuing the eradication of the mafia

"'The mafia, like every human fact, has had a beginning and will also have an end': this is what Falcone used to repeat, urging coherence and educational commitment, urging everyone in society to do their part together with the institutions, at every level. The mafia has suffered heavy blows, but the work of eradication must be given continuity, seizing its transformations, the new links with economic and financial activities, the grey areas that form where civic commitment gives way to indifference'. These were the words of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the strage of Capaci, recalling the importance of "always keeping vigilance high, involving the new generations in the responsibility of building a future free from criminal constraints".

Posting a photo of Giovanni Falcone and the phrase 'Men pass, ideas remain' on X, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also recalled the Capaci massacre: '23 May is the Day of Legality, in memory of the victims of the Mafia. We remember Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo, the agents of the escort, all those who sacrificed their lives to defend the values of legality. And with them, every victim who fell at the hands of the Mafia. Their example and memory continue to guide our action. Also in their name, the government is and will always be at the forefront in the fight against all forms of criminality. Without respite, without compromise. Let us not forget'.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi spoke at the ceremony in Palermo and emphasised: 'In 40 years there has been a great affirmation of justice. The mafia tends to shoot less and shed less blood, but it is no less insidious because it contaminates public institutions and major contracting stations. There has also been a transformation thanks to cultural action, but we must be very careful with modern expressions. The mafia tends to pollute the mechanisms of institutional life: it is a sensitive issue, we touch it when we dissolve municipalities for infiltration'.