In Palma di Montechiaro, before the traditional annual procession, the new police commissioner of Agrigento Emanuele Ricifari demanded and obtained that the dedication plaque to a Mafia family be removed from the statue of the Madonna del Castello. Not only that, the quaestor also banned the parade of horses, because many were allegedly mounted by known criminals. "The investigations carried out on the lists of riders and owners of the horses presented showed the participation in the event of subjects with numerous and relevant criminal records, including crimes against the person and crimes related to mafia-type crime," is how the police official justified his ban. This is the first time in Sicily that a religious parade has been canceled to avoid mafia-type tampering.
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