https://www.flickr.com/photos/15013948@N05/2137418735
On February 23, 2017, a video was released in which two employees of the Lidl supermarket in Follonica, after having caught two Roma women rummaging in a “metal cage”, where waste and faulty products are left, locked them up, blocking their exit with a forklift. The women’s reaction is desperate. A third employee films the scene with his mobile phone. In a very short time, the footage is shared in the supermarket employees’ chat room, and then publicly broadcast on the net. The Carabinieri start an investigation for kidnapping right, after seeing the video themselves in some Facebook groups. The police track down Margherita, one of the two women, collect her statement and reveal the identity of the three attackers. In the meantime, the video becomes viral, so much so that Lidl is forced to issue an official statement to distance itself from these contents, reserving the right to take all necessary measures. The public opinion is divided between those who trace the episode back to a clear example of xenophobia and racism, and those who belittle it, calling it a “stunt”. What is striking about the event are not only the violence of the act and the rawness of the video, chilling and condemnable as such, but also the “success” recorded by the video on social platforms. The contribution offers a detailed narration of the facts, download here.
