Overview

The idea of mafianeindanke e.V. first arose in Berlin after 6 members of a ‘ndrangheta clan were killed by rivals in Duisburg in August 2007. It was clear that the creation of an anti-mafia culture in Germany was of primary importance; in fact, the civil society is still today not informed and aware of the widespread presence of organized crime groups and their activities in its territory. As a first step, shortly after the killings in Duisburg, the Berlin police and a not yet named group, the later mafianeindanke e.V., set up a cooperation agreement between security forces and members of the Italian community in Berlin, the so called “Berlin Sicherheitsvereinbarung”. The aim was to guarantee an efficient and effective local fight against organized crime and to grant security for potential victims. This agreement was awarded as Best Practice between civil society and security forces by EU in 2009. Indeed, in December 2007 over 40 restaurateurs in Berlin were asked for protection money (pizzo) from few sympathizers of an Italian Mafia group. With the support of mafianeindanke e.V, they stand together and reported the extortion, and they fight it as a collective. Thanks to the Sicherheitsvereinbarung, the guilty persons were arrested shortly after. In 2009, mafianeindanke was registered in Germany as a nonprofit association. The aim of the association is to raise awareness of the presence in Germany of organized crime groups, mainly Italian Mafias, and to spread information about related topic. Moreover, mafianeindanke e.V. fosters the harmonization of the European legislation to create a common front in the fight against organized crime in Europe, emphasizing the importance of legality, social justice and freedom in a democratic civil society. mafianeindanke is actively organizing events, book and movie presentations. We are based on volunteers’ support, which grants true and genuine interest toward these issues.