Tomorrow is the thirtieth anniversary of Giuseppe -Peppino- Impastato’s death. A young man and a journalist who believed in justice and freedom of speech as weapons for a social change.

He is one of the names in the list of innocent victims of Mafia, a sadly long list that reminds the whole Italy and the State that they also have a part of responsibility in these murders.

A Country divided in half, where Centre and North wrongly think that mafia and all its regional relatives are just a South Italy problem, a State that too often forgets about organized crime and a public opinion that closes its eyes in front of reality, this is Italy.

Peppino Impastato was born in Cinisi (Sicilia), his family was connected with the local mafia environment, one of his father’s sisters got married with the boss Cesare Manzella (who is considered one of the criminals who discovered the new way to make money in drugs traffic).

Peppino’s house was exactly one hundred steps far from Gaetano Badalamenti’s house (the man, the boss who signed his death sentence)

But despite the environment where he was born he started fighting that part of social reality that poisoned (and still poisons) his land since he was very young.

Strongly active in the social, cultural and political life of his town, in 1971 he created Radio Aut a self-financed broadcaster whose purpose was unofficial information and satire against mafia and exponents of local politics.

He stood for the local elections of Cinisi in 1978. But in May 1978, a few days before the elections and a few days after a very well documented photographic exhibition about the devastation of the territory made by speculators and mafia groups, he was murdered.

His body was torn to pieces by a charge of trinitrotoluene on the railway tracks of the line Palermo-Trapani. He was 30 years old. Today he would be 60.

Thirty years ago, Peppino Impastato died, thirty years later nothing has changed. Apart from the growth, the ramification and the greater organization of the organized crime.

Tomorrow some politician will spend some nice words about mafia and all those men dead believing in justice, as the circumstances want. The day after everything will be forgotten, and everybody will forget about the biggest industry of money made in Italy.

Italy, Italian public opinion must stop closing his eyes deliberately. Italians must start believing and fighting for justice. As Peppino Impastato did.

Nobody can change Italy, apart from Italians.