The businessman who defied the Italian Mafia

Published: Sept. 6, 2019, 8 a.m.

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In 1991, Palermo businessman Libero Grassi published an open letter in Sicily\\u2019s 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 he was executed in person by one of Cosa Nostra\\u2019s top bosses. Libero Grassi\\u2019s defiance is credited with inspiring a new grass-roots movement among businesses in Sicily that stands up to the Mafia. Simon Watts talks to his daughter, Alice Grassi.

PHOTO TO COME

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