THE MAFIA

Mafia violence spilled into the streets in Germany on Wednesday as six Italians were shot in the head and killed after a family birthday party at a pizzeria. The killings happened after the 18th birthday celebrations of one of the victims. The motive for the bloodbath is not yet known. It seems likely they are tit-for-tat shootings, part of a long-running feud between two of Italy’s largest organized crime gangs. It is the first time a crime syndicate from the south of Italy has killed abroad. Police believe the assassins are based in Italy's Calabria region. They are thought to have links to criminal groups around the world and control a large part of the European drug market. Many experts consider them even more dangerous than the Sicilian Mafia.

The victims were aged between 16 and 39. They had just left the Da Bruno restaurant near Duisburg's main train station when they came under fire, a police spokesman said. A passerby told police she heard loud bangs, followed by a noise that she thought was fireworks. Thirty minutes later, police found two cars in a small street between two office buildings. Two of the victims were slumped in their seats in one of the cars. Bullet casings littered the ground. The police officer handling the investigation, Heinz Sprenger, reported to the press: "I can't tell you how many shots were fired, but it was a whole lot." He added: “All of the victims had head wounds. One was still alive when the police first arrived at the scene, but he died as paramedics tried to revive him.”

2. WORLD GANGS: In pairs / groups, discuss what you know about gangs in these countries. Which do you think are most dangerous?

Italy Russia Mexico USA

Colombia Spain Canada other ____________________

3. REVENGE: In pairs / groups, role play what you would do to get revenge in each of these situations:

• Someone steals your boyfriend/girlfriend
• Your classmate takes your notes without asking
• The person next door throws their rubbish in your garden
• A “friend” puts your personal details and photo all over the Internet
• Your partner cheats on you
• Your bank overcharges you by mistake and will not refund you

4. QUICK DEBATE: Students A think the world will always have organized criminal gangs. Students B think the opposite.  

5.SYNONYM MATCH

1.	spilled	a.	an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
2	motive	b.	dealing with
3.	tit-for-tat	c.	killers
4.	abroad	d.	eyewitness
5.	assassins	e.	filled
6.	under fire	f.	overflowed
7.	passerby	g.	overseas
8.	handling	h.	resuscitate
9.	littered	i.	reason
10.	revive	j.	shot at

6.DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS 

1. Do stories about the Mafia interest you?
2. What do you know about the Mafia?
3. How do you think the Mafia has continued for so long?
4. Do you like watching movies about the Mafia and other gangs?
5. Have you ever had a long-running feud with someone?
6. Have you ever done something that was tit-for-tat?
7. Do you think this shooting means the Mafia will become more active in Europe and other parts of the world?
8. What kind of criminal gangs are there in your country ?
9. What do you think gang life is like?

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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS 

1. What kinds of motives might the killers have for the shootings?
2. How would you react if you were a passerby who witnessed the shootings?
3. Do you think it would be interesting to have a job as a police officer chasing the Mafia?
4. Have you ever witnessed gang violence?
5. What do you know about the Mafia’s code of honour?
6. Have you ever wanted to take revenge on someone? What kind and why?
7. Has violence ever spilled into the streets of your town?
8. What questions would you like to ask a Mafia boss?
9. Did you like this discussion?