"It's not a manual, but a manifesto." This is how Franco Gabrielli described "Against Fear," a book he co-wrote with journalist Carlo Bonini, yesterday in Sassari, at the Sala Angioy of the Provincial Hall.
The former Undersecretary for Security in the Draghi government and former Director General of AISI presented the book during a meeting promoted by Domucratica, the ACLI political school in Sassari. The pages, the fruit of meetings with the Deputy Director of La Repubblica, address tensions related to security , expressed through various episodes, from the shipwreck off Cutro in 2023, which killed 94 people trying to reach the peninsula, to the disappearance of 19-year-old Ramy Elgaml the following year, who died in Milan after falling from a scooter following a police chase. Across the range of themes, the fear of citizens emerges, who perceive a constant insecurity, even though this is contradicted by national data on the number of crimes committed. And the greatest fear is related to non-EU citizens.
"On immigration," says the former prefect, "I hear unrealistic proposals like naval blockades and remigration. People end up accepting life-saving solutions that the facts take the trouble to contradict. What's missing is an integration policy ." Regarding Sardinia, he reports: "I don't see any criminal emergencies on the island, but rather situations that need attention." In Sassari, as a measure against drug dealing and crime in the historic center, there have been repeated calls for the military to intervene. "It's one of those famous recipes," he states, "that don't yield any results. Armies, made up of great professionals, should be concerned with other matters. It's the police forces that should be responsible for the city's security ." "Security," he concludes, "for me is the precondition for freedom, not its limit."
During his speech, Gabrielli also recalled his ties to the island, particularly northern Sardinia, evoking the dramatic flood in Olbia in 2013, when he served as head of the Civil Protection Department. He also highlighted his connection with Francesco Cossiga, a native of Sassari and former President of the Republic. The discussion, moderated by Marco Calaresu, professor of Political Science at the University of Sassari, included contributions from the mayor of Sassari, Giuseppe Mascia; Silvio Lai, a Democratic Party member of parliament; Gian Guido Nobili, coordinator of the Italian Forum for Urban Security; Alessandra Camparota, Modena's councilor for Urban Security; and Anna Alberti, professor of Constitutional and Public Law at the University of Sassari.
