2019 project: Stay on the lands freed from the mafia: how to better face serious crime in France

ECOPASS (european connexions against organised crime and for the promotion of social alternatives) is a training stay at the heart of antimafia cooperatives in Italy, designed together with the foundation Terre de Liens and the association Culture Contre Camorra. Below is the presentation flyer:

For 5 days, Crim’HALT members specialized in the voluntary sector and in the Social and Solidarity Economy field, visited, debated and interacted with key actors on the topic of goods confiscated from criminals in the Reggio Calabria area. It has been possible thanks to the Italian partner Valle del Marro-Libera Terra cooperative.

• Francois Fameli, Crim’HALT vice-president & director of the media CaféBabel
• Francesa Festa, mission manager at CaféBabel
• Elise Van Beneden, president of Anticor
• Jean-Pierre Caron, treasurer of Terre de liens
• Lucile Garçon, researcher in social science
• Fabrice Rizzoli,co-founder of Crim’HALT
• Philippe Lacroix, mission manager for the High Committee for the housing for disadvantaged people
• Rocco Femia, journalist & director of the cultural magazine Radici
• Hélène Constanty, journalist
• Christophe Andrée, whistleblower and administrator of the Confédération syndicale des familles
• Franco Ianiello,president of the associationCulture against Camorra
• Héloïse Rambert, journalist
• Hélène Wagner-Popoff secretary of Terre de liens Corse
• Isabelle Souquet, radio journalist
• Paule Casanova-Nicolai, journalist for Corse Matin
• Stefano Vosa, Image Reporter
• Julien Marcy, producer
• JFD, member of the Massimu Susini group

All of them were in Italy from the 7th until the 12th century to learn about best practices in the fight against organized crime, through the social use of confiscated ill-goods. In the picture at the top, the group is standing in front of a property confiscated from the mafia in Calabria. This impressive house, confiscated from the Versace clan in 2006, has been made available for the local parish. Instead of a bar that was hosting mafia members committing violence against entrepreneurs, who did not accept racketeering, there is now a hostel in which the group stayed. This place also hosts a center hosting activities for the youth of the neighborhood, as well as an outpatient center for everyone.

The objective of these training programs, co-financed by the European Union Erasmus+ program, is to finally be equipped with mechanisms for the return of confiscated property to citizens, or to be ready for when such mechanisms will be in place…

History of the advocacy:

Since 2009, FLARE France (ancestor of Crim’HALT) with the support of Libera France advocates for this mechanism (cf. Lobbying antimafia à Bruxelles)

2014, the association Anticor integrates the social use of confiscated ill-goods into its advocacy 

2015, during a european week against organised crime, Crim’HALT receives the support of the association « Culture against Camorra »

2016, the French Chamber for the Social and Solidary Economy obtains the social use of confiscated ill-goods but the Constitutional Council deprives the citizens of the only mean to make mentalities change

2018, Terre de liens supports Crim’HALT’s advocacy (cf. Tribune Reporterre)

January 2019, the High Committee for the Housing for Disadvantaged People supports Crim’HALT’s purpose, aiming at the social use of confiscated ill-goods, particularly in order to develop the housing offer for the most vulnerable people.

September 2019, the Massimu Susini group and then the maffiaNO A vita ie group also add the social use of confiscated goods into their advocacy

November 2019, the National Assembly votes for the second time on the social use of confiscated goods but the lockdown does not allow a final vote…