The exploitation of farm workers in Italy has come under the spotlight again after four men – three Afghans and one from Pakistan – were allegedly burned alive in a car at a petrol station in Calabria. The attack, captured by a surveillance camera at the garage in Amendolara near Cosenza, has prompted outrage across the country.
Details of the Attack
The video footage, broadcast by state TV network Rai and other Italian media, appears to show two suspects pouring liquid into the back of the vehicle while it is parked next to a petrol pump. They then set the car ablaze and block its doors to prevent the victims from escaping. A fourth Afghan man, who suffered burns to his arms, managed to escape through the boot. Two Pakistani nationals have been arrested on charges of aggravated murder, according to public prosecutor Alessandro D’Alessio.
Survivor's Account
In an interview with regional news service TGR Calabria, the survivor, a strawberry picker who shared a flat with the four victims, said the killers were part of a “huge Pakistani mafia”. He added: “It’s a miracle that I’m alive.” The survivor reported that the victims were threatened with guns and knives and had been forced to work without pay, receiving only food and board.
The Caporalato System
Facilitated by flaws in immigration and labour law, the exploitation of farm workers has become rampant under a criminal system known as caporalato – a lucrative, tightly run network of gangmasters who illegally recruit poorly paid labourers. The system thrives on the vulnerability of migrants, many of whom arrive in Italy by boat or legally by air after paying gangmasters thousands of euros in the belief they are leaving their home countries for genuine jobs.
Francesco Savino, vice-president of the Italian bishops’ conference, said news of the murders “shakes the faith in humanity” and called for a “revolt of conscience” against exploitation, the gangmaster system, and indifference. “I say it forcefully,” he added. “Enough with the dirty silence of convenience. Enough with the grey area that sees, knows and lets things happen. Enough with the wicked habit of considering it normal for men from far away to harvest, work, live, sleep, travel, and die like bodies without a history.”
Political Reactions
CGIL, Italy’s biggest trade union, described the murders as an “unspeakable horror” and urged politicians to “combat the abominations of daily life experienced by workers, often migrants, in our countryside”. Roberto Occhiuto, president of the Calabria region, shared the video on social media, stating: “This is a chilling story that shakes our consciences and raises profound questions about the tragedy of migration, the value of human dignity and the responsibilities a civil society must assume toward the most vulnerable.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to clamp down on the gangmaster system after a previous incident in June 2024, when Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old farm worker from India, was crushed to death by a machine on a farm near Rome. His employer is on trial for voluntary murder after allegedly leaving Singh injured outside his home with his severed arm placed in a fruit basket. Meloni’s government has addressed exploitation through increased inspections at farms and employers and by expanding legal immigration channels. Italy is issuing 500,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals by 2028, a measure also aimed at resolving labour shortages. However, unions have criticised the policy due to bureaucratic issues with processing the visas.
