In certain districts of the city of Rome, Virginia Raggi, the mayor, dared to oppose influential groups stemming from organized crime. In an interview for Italian television, the city councilor affirms that this has earned him threats from the mafia which is planning to attack her and her family.
Having become the first female mayor of Rome in 2016, Virginia Raggi indicates more specifically that she has been targeted by the Casamonica family, known for their criminal activities in Italy.
Thanks to Police and Dda for blitz that led to the arrest of six people of the Casamonica clan. They are accused of extortion aggravated by the mafia method, usury, dealing. An arrested also involved in a raid on the Roxy bar. There is no room for crime in Rome. #FuoriLaMafiaDaRoma
— Virginia Raggi (@virginiaraggi) October 27, 2020
The city councilor, whose remarks are reported by the Guardian, said to have drawn their wrath by demolishing several of their villas, built illegally, in 2018. “We were informed that they were planning an attack against me and my family », She tells the Canale 5 news channel.
The mayor of Rome, who claims to now live under police escort, also talks about her fight against other clans. In the seaside resort of Ostia, for example, with the help of the police, she seized the shops and cars of the Spada family, who built their empire through drug trafficking and blackmail.
She describes the fear of the inhabitants of the city who, in certain neighborhoods, come and tell her to “keep fighting” before moving away quickly “because they are afraid of being seen by the clans”.