BASTA! and CHANCE call for commitment: ‘We must all act to break the silence’.

2023 starts with a very significant weight to carry if we think that the first victim of narco-terrorism in Antwerp (Belgium) is an 11-year-old girl.  We are outraged and deeply shocked to observe the escalation of violence, the slowness of political reaction, and the total silence of the public.

The narrative of mafia phenomena continues to give an image far from civil society’s lives. In fact, mafias are unfortunately present in our daily lives, whether we actively see it or not: they impoverish our economy, infiltrate State institutions through corruption practices, and increasingly stain our streets with blood.

The latest series of “incidents” has once again proved wrong the widespread prejudice that the drug war of recent years poses no danger to innocent civilians. Whatever the family background of the victim, the death of an innocent person must not pass as an “accident”: on the contrary, it must let us question what is seriously going on.

BASTA! Belgium and the CHANCE Network call civil society, the associative world, schools, institutions, and political parties as a whole to responsibility. Because organised crime cannot be tackled only through judicial investigations, but above all by building a resilient and cohesive social tissue. 

We must resolutely protest against mafia dominance and demand justice for its victims. Indignation and dismay are no longer enough. We must act now!
May Firdaous death not be in vain and may it be a turning point to avoid future victims.