Mexicans must fight crime from their society(1)

In countries where powerful organized crime groups operate, like Mexico, there is a kind of "mafiosity" or culture of illegality rooted in society, which must be fought by educating the young, says Italian priest Tonio Dell'Olio, one of the leaders of the anti-mafia organization Libera.

Dell'Olio has launched campaigns for economic and social justice and disarmament as international director of Libera, an Italian organization that has fought organized crime for over 15 years by promoting a culture of lawfulness through cultivation of land confiscated from the mafia, fair employment practices, sports, education, assistance to victims, social mobilization and other activities.

Libera was a sponsor of law 109/96, passed in 1996, under which property seized from the mafia is distributed to local communities to promote social growth and development.

The activist, who in his work against organized crime has joined efforts with hundreds of labor unions, community organizations and religious groups, visited Mexico several weeks ago to establish contacts for a seemingly titanic task: building a Latin American network of civil society organizations for a culture of peace.

The only effective way to combat organized crime is by attacking their finances, while working to win over their support bases through "education for peace, not war," Dell'Olio said in this interview in Mexico.

Q: Where do you start, when it comes to creating a network for culture and peace?

A: The first line of action has to be to strike at the heart of the criminal organizations, by attacking their economic interests. Because it is from their money that their power comes. In other words, it isn't violence that produces wealth, but wealth that generates violence.

The problem the world's large criminal groups are facing now is how to invest the money they obtain.

In Italy, the mafia generates 150 billion euros (213 billion dollars) a year. It is the country's biggest company! So there has to be a push for investigation of their wealth, and for transparency among civil servants regarding funding and incomes, and a lot of work has to be done with the people, to build a culture of lawfulness.

Q: What do you mean by that?

A: There is the mafia, or criminal organizations, but there is also 'mafiosity' – a kind of culture where a society accepts coexisting with illegal activities in different forms. And that's where the most work has to be done: in educating for peace, not war.

A culture of legality and an aversion to illegality must be fomented. This is work that has to be done with the people, in schools and in the communities.

Q: It's hard to think about that in a country like Mexico, where 95 percent of crimes go unpunished.

A: Yes, that's a big problem in Mexico.

The level of infiltration of organized crime in the police in Italy isn't as high as it is here. I think it's the worst problem you have in Mexico…and I don't know, I don't have answers, but you have to start somewhere, because the worst thing is to not do anything.

We have the case of a man who, when he heard shooting outside his house, locked himself in to protect himself. And when he finally opened the window, he found his son lying dead in the middle of the street. Now he's an activist who gives his testimony and explains why it's necessary to stand up and speak out.