The Whos down in Whoville might almost be jealous of Portici – a town of some 60,000 residents near Naples, Italy – whose mayor, Vincenzo Cuomo declared that Christmas decorations would be banned in public this year.
And why would Whoville be jealous of this decidedly anti-festive decree? Because at least the good mayor has a reason to justify his actions: In Whoville, the Grinch stole Christmas out of spite; in Portici, Mayor Cuomo’s policy is an attempt to break a Mafia funding scheme.
The crackdown on tinsel, Mr. Cuomo says, is the latest front in his battle against the Camorra, the Naples-based mob known for its brutality and economic savvy.
When the Christmas season comes around — and holiday shopping picks up — the town sees a spike in payments of the pizzo, or protection money. The “pizzo di Natale,” as Christmas-time payments are called, is commonly carried out through the forced sale of overpriced decorations — from Advent calendars to poinsettias — by the Camorra to shopkeepers.
So far, so good, though the Mafia aren’t usually ones to take such aggressive attempts to curb their power lightly. Two months ago, the mayor received a bullet from an AK-47 in the mail. And that’s not the only threat: No doubt if they ever get wind of it, Fox News viewers will also shower him with a deluge of War on Christmas hate mail.
