“We’ll put a bomb under you,” they say to the switchboard

An anonymous phone call to Palermo at the Giornale di Sicilia. The reporter Leonardo Gargano is targeted. Investigations in progress and many expressions of solidarity

On June 12th 2019, at 10 am, at the switchboard of the “Giornale di Sicilia”, in Palermo, a threatening phone call arrives for the crime reporter, Leopoldo Gargano. “Gargano writes too much bullshit. This is the Lo Piccolo family speaking here. We’ll put a bomb under you and blow you all up in the air,” said the voice. The newspaper itself reported it after making a formal complaint to the police. The number of the phone from which the call was made may help trace the person who made the call.

Numerous expressions of solidarity were sent to the journalist and the editorial staff by colleagues and institutions. The editors of the daily paper pointed out that “Leopoldo Gargano is an expert, attentive and prepared reporter. Therefore we can only express full and close support to him. Episodes like this, however, the last of a long series, will certainly not prevent us from carrying out our mission: to inform with objectivity, impartiality and reliability, having as the only element of reference the absolute search for the truth”.

Assostampa Siciliana and the Italian National Press Federation (Fnsi) condemned the incident with these words: “One thing is certain: Leopoldo Gargano will continue to write his free, timely and informed articles and the “Giornale di Sicilia” will continue to publish them”.

ASP (wt)