Mafia mentality 25/08/09

The latest ‘mafia’ activity: last night the police came to us at 1.30 punctually and got out of the car to make the group we had playing outside in the square stop. Mio marito ran out frantically to tell the band to stop, in fact the band were not amused and Daniele later was giving off to Salvo. We have no choice though, the group cost 300€ and probably only played an hour and a half for God’s sake, 1.30 is still the middle of the evening. Plus, the live music continued until 2.30 at the bars on either side of us, ON THE SAME STREET. I mean, what is that about? Who is it that has it in for us? Is it the police, or is it a resident? I was upstairs on the terrace and didn’t see them; I would have asked why we had to stop and the other bars didn’t. But mio marito says these are not questions to put to the police on duty. It could get you a fine.

His friend Cristiano said to go to the police HQ tomorrow and ask to talk to one of his friends about it, just to ask for equal rules for all. But mi marito said this would expose us and he wouldn’t want to cause animosity with the other bars. I don’t think it would, I think it makes perfect sense, it is so unfair. This is third time the have come to us while other bars have had live music OUTSIDE on till much later. Everyone is so afraid to speak out here. Mio marito is afraid if he says something that they will send more inspectors here to find fault with us and give us a huge fine for no good reason. This culture of fear, that is how it works here. Everyone has a guilty conscience and everything works on the basis of this climate of threat and fear. Unbelievable. This is the mafia mentality here – a whole vicious circle based on rumours and threats and rules for some and different rules for others. It makes me sick. This is why the Sicilians are so oppressed and therefore so explosive and volatile and suspicious and prickly.

Dolores

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