The businessman who defied the Mafia
Italian businessman Libero Grassi was killed in Sicily in 1991, for publicly refusing to pay protection money to the Mafia.
Palermo businessman Libero Grassi published an open letter in Sicily鈥檚 main newspaper denouncing the Mafia for constantly demanding extortion payments. Grassi was hailed as a hero, but his public refusal to pay was intolerable to the Mafia and a few months later, in the summer of 1991, he was executed in person by one of Cosa Nostra鈥檚 top bosses. Libero Grassi鈥檚 defiance is credited with inspiring a new grass-roots movement among businesses in Sicily that stands up to the Mafia. Simon Watts spoke to his daughter, Alice Grassi.
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