Anti-racket banner and report: how the association supports the entrepreneur
In Caivano, a construction firm received threats from a mafia clan despite displaying an anti-racket banner. The association Sos Impresa explains why joining the pact remains crucial for finding the courage to report the crime.
The anti-racket banner does not protect from threats, but opens the way to reporting
In Caivano, according to a report by Il Fatto Quotidiano—Cronaca, a construction firm from Giugliano received threats and demands for protection money from the Angelino clan despite the anti-racket banner displayed at the building site. Luigi Cuomo, president of the anti-racket association Sos Impresa, clarifies that this does not mean the banner was useless. Rather, it represents a choice of principle: the firm declares that it wishes to work within the law and has made a commitment to the association. In this case, the entrepreneur reported the matter to the carabinieri.
The process of joining the association concretely helped the entrepreneur in his decision to report the crime. He already had a contact at Sos Impresa and had built a relationship of trust with law enforcement. When the extortion demand came, he already had people to turn to and a concrete path to follow. Initially the site manager had told the clan's emissaries "we have already paid", perhaps out of fear.
It is understandable that a person under threat should be afraid. That fear affects the family, collaborators and workers. Questions arise about what will happen after the report, the possibility of continuing to work, and the consequences of the decision made. In this specific case, the workers were beaten and the entrepreneur had to suspend work for a few weeks.
The association remains at the entrepreneur's side even after the report. It listens to him, accompanies him, and maintains relations with institutions. When we speak of accompaniment, we speak of an organised presence: a recognised association, with experience, expertise and relations built over time. The entrepreneur enters into a network of solidarity that supports his decision.
After the report, retaliation may occur. Cuomo explains that it is not possible to promise the absence of risk. However, from the experience of over thirty years of Sos Impresa, in cases of entrepreneurs accompanied by the association, the feared retaliation has generally not occurred. Fear of what might happen often fuels beliefs that find no confirmation in the facts.
The suspension of the site nonetheless caused damage: workers idle and requiring wages, stress, delays in supplies. Law no. 44 of 1999 provides for grants with no refund requirement for victims of extortion meeting the required criteria, proportionate to recognised damages, which may include lost earnings. Compensation requires documentation of the damage and its connection to the extortion. The association carries out fundamental work here, helping the firm gather the necessary evidence and accompanying it through the process, offering legal support in assessing whether to intervene as a civil party and during the trial.
For an entrepreneur under threat who has not yet joined the pact, Cuomo advises contacting law enforcement from the first signs of intimidation. They can also turn to Sos Impresa for help, even subsequently.
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca