Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
LICATA (AGRIGENTO) – A serious and alarming double act of intimidation has shaken the community of Licata in the night between 31 October and 1 November. Unknown individuals broke into the town’s two main cemeteries, desecrating and devastating the family graves of the mayor Angelo Balsamo and of the member of the municipal executive responsible for cemetery services, Giuseppe Federico.
The discovery was made this morning, on All Saints’ Day, sparking outrage among local institutions and prompting immediate intervention by the police.
The reconstruction and previous damage
The vandalism and intimidation were carried out in two different cemetery sites in the municipality:
- Cimitero dei Cappuccini: the family grave of mayor Angelo Balsamo was devastated and desecrated.
- Cimitero di Marianello: the family grave of member of the municipal executive Giuseppe Federico was damaged.
The incident is part of an escalation of damage already recorded in previous nights at the Marianello cemetery, where vandalism had destroyed the window frames and furniture of the municipal offices, as well as putting two electric vehicles used to transport elderly and disabled people out of service.
Statements by mayor Angelo Balsamo
The mayor of Licata commented directly on the incident, linking the raids to the action taken by the municipal administration to restore legality within the cemetery structures:
“For three months we have been bringing order to the cemetery, removing many instances of unauthorised use and carrying out cleaning and organisation. Evidently, this has upset someone. The investigators will carry out the necessary checks, but to me it seems there is no doubt about what happened, given that the grave of my family and that of the member of the municipal executive for cemetery services have been destroyed.”
— Angelo Balsamo, mayor of Licata
Scientific surveys and investigations are under way by the Carabinieri, directed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Agrigento, to identify those responsible for the serious act and to shed light on the nature of the attack on the city’s institutions.
