Italian Government
35 years ago: the assassination of Libero Grassi
"“I would like to warn our unknown extortionist to spare himself the threatening phone calls…” This is what Libero Grassi wrote in the letter he entrusted to the Giornale di Sicilia, which the newspaper published on 10 January 1991.
Simple, firm words, addressed directly to those who sought to impose protection money on him and interfere in the decisions concerning his company and his life. Libero Grassi said no. He reported the extortionists and made the Mafia’s blackmail public, asserting every entrepreneur’s right to work freely.
He did so while also paying the price of isolation and indifference. He did not back down.
On 29 August 1991, thirty-five years ago, the Mafia assassinated him in Palermo.
Alone, as he did every morning, he was on his way to his textile factory. He was cowardly shot from behind.
I believe they did not have the courage to face his gaze. That of a strong and free Man. An entrepreneur who had returned to Sicily by choice, to create jobs — synonymous with freedom — and to offer an opportunity for growth and development.
They thought they could silence him. Instead, his voice became a matter of conscience, an example, and a collective responsibility.
Today, remembering Libero Grassi means never leaving alone those who find the courage to report wrongdoing. It means standing beside them through the concrete presence of the State, its Institutions, and society as a whole.
Because the Mafia feeds on silence and fear. Freedom grows through courage and the rule of law.
A freedom that we have a duty to defend every day, through our choices and our actions in everyday life.”
So said the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto.
