Naples – A new, shameful act has once again erased the memory of Mario Paciolla. The mural depicting his face, created by artist Luca Carnevale in the Via dell'Erba park, in the heart of the Arenella neighborhood, and the commemorative plaque have been defaced with graffiti and signs of vandalism. The "Giustizia per Mario Paciolla" collective has denounced the incident, calling it a "cowardly and offensive act."
A desecrated place of the heart
This is no ordinary work of art, but the first mural ever created to commemorate the young Neapolitan aid worker. The location is imbued with meaning: it was in that very park that Mario spent the carefree hours of his adolescence, playing basketball, one of his greatest passions. Hitting that wall means damaging a symbol, a secular altar where friends and family gather to remember.
The Collective's anger and the institutions' silence
"This is a cowardly and offensive act," the Collective declared, "which attacks not only a work of art and a public space, but above all the memory of a young man who dedicated his life to the values of peace, justice, and human rights."
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Paciolla family for the latest instance of violence they've suffered. For years, Mario's parents and siblings have been waging a painful, dignified battle to uncover the truth about his death, which occurred in Colombia in 2020 under circumstances that have never been fully clarified.
The episode appears even more serious when placed in the current context. "We cannot help but observe," the statement continues, "how incidents of this kind often arise in contexts marked by neglect and inattention. Unfortunately, the Mario Paciolla affair continues to be accompanied by an institutional silence that has never ceased to weigh heavily over the years."
Memory becomes sport: the first trophy dedicated to Mario
The vandalism comes just before a symbolic date: March 28th, Mario's birthday. Over the years, this anniversary has become a moment of civil mobilization for those demanding truth and justice. And it was precisely for March 28th that the family and the Collective had organized a special initiative: the first basketball trophy dedicated to Mario Paciolla. An event that was meant to unite sport and memory, it now risks being overshadowed by this latest wound.
"We would have liked to announce this moment to the city in a very different context," the Collective concludes, "than the one marked by this cowardly act." The hope now is that the plaque and mural will be restored as soon as possible, to restore dignity to a place that Naples does not want to stop preserving.
I'm very saddened by the sight of the defaced mural and the ruined plaque. I can't understand how people can do such things. It seems senseless and disrespectful. The institutions haven't reacted as they should. Let's hope they restore the place as soon as possible and that the memory remains protected.