Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
MARSALA – Paper bombs thrown near the entrance, a general-waste bin destroyed by an explosion and a mounting climate of tension have forced the management of the Salesian Don Bosco oratory in Marsala to take a painful but necessary decision. The centre has ordered a temporary 48-hour suspension of its regular opening hours, halting the usual afternoon and evening activities to send a strong signal in the face of a wave of vandalism that has been going on for weeks.
The closure was formalised with a public notice to families and the local community: the suspension of regular recreational activities covers Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November, with only the essential after-school services and the Gr.Inv. group sessions guaranteed.
The rejection of outreach and the escalation of vandalism
The measure stems from a long-running situation. For weeks, a group of very young people has been gathering outside the centre on via San Giovanni Bosco. Youth leaders and religious staff have repeatedly tried to engage them, inviting them inside to join the educational and sports activities.
The invitations have, however, fallen on deaf ears: the group has continued to occupy the pavement with provocative behaviour, culminating in recent days with the throwing of powerful firecrackers and homemade devices that destroyed the external bin and caused great alarm among users and residents.
The Salesians’ stance: “An educational act inspired by the preventive method”
The Salesian community has firmly reiterated that the 48-hour suspension is neither a surrender nor a simple punishment, but a precise educational act:
- Pause for reflection: The management’s intention is to study the most appropriate form of intervention, in keeping with St John Bosco’s historic “preventive system”.
- Resumption of activities: The centre will wait until the start of next week to reopen as normal, with a confirmed commitment not to abandon the most challenging young people in the area.
