civil society is mobilizing to break the silence on mafia abuses

After the first demonstrations in March, two new demonstrations were held on Saturday in Bastia and Ajaccio to say “no” to the mafia. A movement that is gaining momentum. Meet those who dare to break the law of silence.

On the slopes of Cargèse, a good hour from Ajaccio, this cemetery overlooks the small harbor below and the sparkling sea. This is where Massimu Susini relies. “He is the son of my older sister, who died at the age of 36 and left him an orphan at the age of 7. We have a very strong bond,” confides Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti, after walking away from the grave. He did not want to speak in front of the plaque and black and white photo of his nephew, who was murdered six years ago in front of his thatched hut.

“He was murdered simply because he opposed the rise of criminal gangs in Cargèseexplained Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti. He interferes with many interests.” Massimu Susini was hit by two bullets one morning in September. “They thought that by killing him they would solve the problem. They did not expect there would be a response because they were not used to it. Culturally, families in general in Corsica, when they are victims of a crime, withdraw. There, it turned out that they killed a political activist and he was not alone.”

And Massimu Susini’s collective was born, not for his personal business, his uncle insisted, but to fight against the system. “It’s not the Chechens who come to Corsica, but us, this is our own production”emphasized Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti.

“What makes the mafia strong? That’s because the mafia has infiltrated it. Coming from Corsican society, there is always a family bond, ‘I went to school with him’, ‘I know him well, we played football together’. That’s not healthy.”

Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti, founder of the Massimu Susini collective

at franceinfo

And resisting this system is difficult when criminal networks target the legal economy, with bribes or threats, said Léo Battesti, a former FLNC (Corsican National Liberation Front, an armed group founded in 1976 to gain autonomy for the island), who is now the spokesman for another anti-mafia collective, Maffia nò, a vita iè (Mafia no, yes to life). “Drug traffickers are certainly dealers, fragile people, who at a certain point, are damaged, people who can swing. So they turn to ‘safer’ things, for example laundering through businesses, construction companies, naval companies, transportation companies, etc. explained the former activist. We can only explain all the attacks on ships this summer due to a desire for expansion.”

In Saint-Florent, for example, four cruise ships caught fire between this spring and autumn. The owner gave up. “You can see in the picture that most of the economic activity in Corsica is of course carried out by people who are not afraid, either because they are forced to surrender to the power of the mafia, or because they themselves are mafia leaders. Their calls for tenders are common, but clearly, there are only a few who apply because the others, once they see certain names, no longer go there. Corsica is a theater of shadows. It is full of mafiosi. Imagine a mayor in a coastal area in Corsica, the pressure he is under, or depending on his decision, the land prices will times 200! You realize, this is even more powerful than bitcoin as a speculation. After that, you will interview the mayor, no one will tell you what I said there.

However, a former mayor agreed to testify. David Brugioni served from 2014 to 2020 in the municipality of Centuri. He remembers: “A real estate agent came and offered me 5,000 euros. I didn’t immediately think it was an act of corruption.”he admitted. When he asked why, the agent replied: “It’s practical, you can do whatever you want with it”. Then, faced with his explicit lack of understanding: “You need to pay for your children’s education. Take the money and put it in your pocket.”

“This system does exist. Why are property prices exploding in Corsica? Because you have a microsystem that needs to be fed.”

David Brugioni

at franceinfo

Currently David Brugioni is a reference on the island of Anticor, an anti-corruption association, which has joined the anti-mafia movement.

To try to fight this “system”, justice must be taken. Corsica, together with Île-de-France, is the only region with an economic and financial center that has more than a hundred archives. And the first regional anti-crime center has also just been established. This is unique in France. “Today we must clearly change the paradigm of the fight against organized crime, explained Jean-Philippe Navarre, Bastia prosecutor. Traditionally, judicial authorities attack these activities by starting from the act of infringement and by looking for links that make it possible to identify the sponsor. The aim of the center is first of all to have a proactive approach. Concretely, we must be able to have a map of criminal groups and their interests, and a map of sensitive sectors of the island’s economy and society there, to attack the second and third circles, namely all the accomplices, all those who are complacent and conspire in this activity.

In his library, the prosecutor has a framed photo of graffiti found in the city: “Navarre, suitcase or coffin”. She says this reminds her every day of her role: helping threatened strangers resist the downward spiral of fear and silence.