Naples: babygangs at workThe phenomenon of babygangs is spreading all around the city of Naples, in the Southern Italy. These “gangs” are associations of kids pretending to gain respect just showing off their apparent strength. They often share photos of themselves holding a gun or, for example, smoking a joint. The age of these kids is absurd: the youngest ones are even 8 or 9 years old.

The public opinion is shattered and, while some people think that TV series, such as “Gomorra”, inspired by the homonym Roberto Saviano’s book, have a relevant part in the rising of this phenomenon, others just associate these kids’ actions with social emergency.

There have been at least eleven episodes of baby gang violence in the past two months, including the aggression of two teens by a gang armed with chains and the beating of Ciro, a 16-years-old who had his nose broken by a group of youths aged 16-18. Among the victims there is also the 17-year-old Arturo, stabbed a week before Christmas, who has recently returned to school. He was severly injured and partially lost his voice.

Obviously people are trying to figure out how to solve this rising problem. Naples police chief Antonio De Iesu claimed that a deal had just been signed to take 400 kids off the streets and teach them a job.

On the 17th January around 2000 people showed their disappointment and anger for the situation marching in the streets of the city to protest against those attacks. The march took place between the district of Scampia and the metropolitan station of Chiaiano, where last week a 15-years-old boy was hit and injured for no apparent reason and had to have his spleen removed. Mostly students took part of it, but there were also the deputy major of Naples, Raffaele Del Giudice, and the justice undersecretary Gennaro Migliore.

This is the second big manifestation against the baby gang’s violence after the one proposed by Arturo’s school.

Gomorra is not to blame, the State is to blame, read one banner.

Meanwhile police keeps investigating on the aggressions of the last few days and have already arrested 7 kids – 3 of whom are underage. «We might say we’re on the right way – said Marco Minniti, the Minister of the interior – or even already detected culprits of the unacceptable violence of these days».