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Tag: John Hooper
Severed rabbit's head that did it (November 4 2012) Severed rabbit’s head that did it (November 4 2012)

Rosy Canale the Italian Anti-mafia activist who nearly died in a brutal beating, is being threatened again after writing a book about the Calabria mobsters the Ndrangheta. John Hooper for The Guardian published an article titled ‘It was the severed rabbit’s head that did it’. Hooper states “Rosy Canale, a courageous anti-mafia activist, had had threats before. But when the bloodied head arrived at her parents’ house in a neat little package on her 40th birthday, she fled. …Canale knows all about its brutality. She used to own a restaurant and disco in the region’s biggest city, Reggio Calabria, and the ‘Ndrangheta wanted to push drugs there. “I was to turn a blind eye,” she said, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location in the US. “If I had done so, I’d doubtless still be in Reggio Calabria, driving round in a brand-new Ferrari.” Instead, she refused. And the ‘Ndrangheta took its revenge. Canale was kicked and pistol-whipped almost to death. “Nearly all my teeth were broken. So was my upper jawbone. They broke my collarbone, several ribs and a leg. It was eight months before I left hospital. …In February, some men came to my parents’ home in Rome posing as postmen. They said they had a letter. My mother opened the door and they pushed past her. They told her that, if I published my book, they would cut me into pieces and feed me to the pigs. A book creates awareness,” added Canale. “And it remains.” The threats continued after she fled to the US…”

 

Inspired by The Guardian ow.ly/eKUqp image source Vanity Fair ow.ly/eKUVw

Antonio Manfredi an Italian artist, curator and director of a Naples museum, the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum has set fire to a painting valued at €10,000 to protest the under-funding of arts in Italy. Before cameras, he set fire to a painting by French artist Séverine Bourguignon watching the spectacle via Skype. In an interview with John Hooper of the Guardian, Manfredi stated “There’s no money for upkeep. We were flooded recently. And there are tons of garbage mounting up outside. …This is a war. This is a revolution, an art war to prevent the destruction of culture, and in a revolution, there are winners and losers. …There are about 1,000 works, so this could go on for years, I tell you, it’s not nice setting light to works of art. It’s terrible. Each one has its own story. …You can’t …ask for money from companies in the area that are in the grip of the Camorra, some pay [the mobsters] protection money. Others are actually controlled by them. … in this area, if you don’t have backing from the authorities, you’re in serious danger. My fear is that they’ll let me go ahead and burn the lot.”

 

Inspired by John Hooper http://ow.ly/awOgA image source http://ow.ly/awOz3

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