There will be a mural in Vicolo della Refezione to remember Vincent and all the victims of bullying and cyberbulism . On the occasion of the World Day which highlights these serious phenomena, which are increasingly widespread among young people, Matteo Plicchi presented the initiative which, in Olbia, will pay homage to his 23-year-old son, victim of defamatory accusations on the web .
Accusations that led him to suicide; the boy took his own life live on Tik Tok on October 9th last year . Vincent Plicchi and his father Matteo, a very strong bond with the city: the young man had even worked on a construction site on the new seafront, as can be seen in a photo, projected this morning in the council room of the Municipality, together with many other images where, smaller , is portrayed at the seaside, in days, then, carefree and happy. A moment of great emotion preceded the story and the memory of the facts.
«It's very difficult to say – said Vincent's father – through work we have always been very close to the city, which is why we asked the mayor if he could give us this possibility. Vincent was a big fan of Salmo and he also joined the project with joy ."
Vincent was a cosplay: on his Tik Tok profile he had created the character of Inquisitor Ghost, inspired by a well-known video game and Star Wars. A young man with a thousand creative resources, tattoo artist, content creator, musician: his alter ego had conquered over 300,000 thousand followers and was becoming a social media star .
«This success of his, this joy, at a certain point created hatred and economic envy – says Matteo Plicchi today – I couldn't imagine the conspiracy in progress, discovered later, for which the accusations of pedophilia had begun while he was living in total isolation. These subjects have practically confessed online but unfortunately no one has moved. In the meantime, I'm investigating on my own and at the end of the month we should have my son's account unblocked . Italian laws - concludes Plicchi - are currently ineffective in combating cyberbullying."
The mural will be created in May by several street artists, including Massimiliano Landuzzi (Rusty), in a virtual twinning with the Municipality of Bologna which, in turn, will create a work dedicated to Vincent. Not just memory but a warning and a look to the future.
« We would like the mural to send a clear message that behind the masks, like the one my son wore, there are people – concluded Vincent's father – as well as behind the user profiles that make accusations, but that you will never know who they are , or the giants of social platforms that then bounce back at you like rubber walls . This gives a sense of impunity, I hope that a law is made that can prevent anyone from sending death messages and disappearing."
«Awaken the consciences of families, schools and institutions», commented Mayor Nizzi, «so that these phenomena, which can often lead to dramatic events, can be fought».
