THE STENCH OF CANTEEN CULTURE: COP CULTURE AND THE CASE OF FEDERICO ALDROVANDI

This article presents an analysis of abuses committed by the Italian police over recent decades, focusing in particular on the case of Federico Aldrovandi, a teenager from Ferrara whose treatment at the hands of the police when he was stopped on his way home from a night out on September 25, 2005, led to his death.
The Aldrovandi case marked a watershed in public perception of police abuse, coming not long after the events of the 2001 G8 protests in Genoa, which had paved the way in terms of bringing the issue into the public eye. Thanks to the work of civil society actors, in particular organizations like Antigone, A Buon Diritto, and Abusi in Divisa,1 more and more cases of police violations have been brought to light. Of these, 38 cases are well known, though there have been other cases that were never reported or were settled in private as the victim chose to remain anonymous. In all cases, the victims and their families have been supported by a network of legal professionals and activists, as well as at least a part of broader public opinion. The cases have sparked a movement aimed at bringing justice in each specific case but also at raising the level of awareness in society and within the police so that similar abuses can be prevented in the future.