THE COMMEMORATION
Locri remembers Francesco Fortugno killed by the 'Ndrangheta sixteen years ago
For the National Anti-Mafia Directorate it was "one of the most serious political-mafia crimes in the history of Italy". His wife Maria Grazia Laganà: "October 16 is a symbolic and extremely significant date for this territory and for the whole of Calabria"

by Ilario Balì October 16, 2021 10:50

It was October 16, 2005 when the vice president of the Regional Council of Calabria Francesco Fortugno was assassinated by the 'Ndrangheta in the entrance hall of Palazzo Nieddu in Locri , seat of the Union primaries . 16 years after that excellent crime that stirred the conscience of everyone, the family and institutions wanted to remember the figure of the Locrese doctor and politician with a sober and restricted ceremony but with a high symbolic value . First the laying of a wreath at the murder site. Then a mass of suffrage officiated by Bishop Francesco Olivain the chapel of the episcopal seminary. Then the usual moment of meditation in the chapel of the cemetery of Locri, where the remains of Franco Fortugno rest.

Furthermore, the first real mass mobilization in Calabria against the 'Ndrangheta is linked to his story by the young people of Locride who in thousands made their voices heard throughout the country, taking to the streets in the aftermath of a definite murder by the National Anti-Mafia Directorate " one of the most serious political-mafia crimes in the history of Italy ".


"For the second consecutive year - said Maria Grazia Laganà , widow of Francesco Fortugno - due to the health emergency that the country is facing, together with my children, I intended to organize this moment with sobriety and without gathering opportunities for young people which have always represented the soul and vital energy of this anniversary. In any case, October 16 remains a symbolic and extremely significant date for this territory and for the whole of Calabria , as an opportunity to relaunch and promote with renewed commitment those ideals of democracy, legality and civil coexistence that have permeated all of existence. of my husband. Feeding the flame of memory means honoring Franco's life and contribute to giving hope of change and redemption to the young people and all the children of this land who do not want to surrender to the suffocating presence of the 'Ndrangheta ».

Also present in Locri the prefect of Reggio Calabria Massimo Mariani : "Compared to those years, progress has been made in the fight against organized crime - he said -. Remembering Fortugno means remembering the main victim of that tragedy, which is this land of Calabria . The territory has paid a terrible price. The presence of the 'Ndrangheta hinders development and it is the task of each of us to ensure that in this land we can live and work well. It is a great challenge, we will always try to do our best ».