The Escalating 'Clothes Hanger Wars': Chinese Mafia Violence Rocks Italy's Fast Fashion Hub

Italy - Ekhbary News Agency

The Escalating 'Clothes Hanger Wars': Chinese Mafia Violence Rocks Italy's Fast Fashion Hub

A brutal double homicide in Rome's Pigneto neighborhood in April marked a grim escalation in a conflict that has been simmering within Europe's Chinese communities. The targeted killings of Zhang Dayong, 53, and Gong Xiaoqing, 38, outside their home, with at least six shots fired, sent shockwaves through the Italian law enforcement community. While the immediate motive remained elusive, investigators swiftly identified the hallmarks of organized crime, pointing towards a nexus of overseas Chinese criminal groups, often referred to as the 'mafia cinese.' This violent episode is not an isolated incident but the violent apex of a prolonged struggle involving assaults, arson, and extortion that has intensified significantly since early 2024, originating not in the capital, but in the industrial heartland of Tuscany.

The city of Prato, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a historical powerhouse of Italian textiles, has become the epicenter of this burgeoning crisis. For decades, Prato has been synonymous with high-quality textile production. However, the tides of globalization in the late 1990s brought economic hardship. In response, a significant influx of Chinese immigrants, primarily from Wenzhou, a city renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit, revitalized the ailing industry. These immigrants breathed new life into vacant factories, transforming Prato into Europe's largest hub for fast fashion – the rapid production of affordable, trend-driven clothing marketed as 'Made in Italy.' The scale of this economic transformation is staggering, with the municipality estimating annual export revenues from its fashion and textile sector at approximately 2 billion euros. Today, the majority of fashion enterprises in Prato are Chinese-owned, a testament to their economic prowess.

However, this economic success has not been without its dark side. Luca Tescaroli, the chief public prosecutor of Prato, a seasoned prosecutor with over a year in his current role, has witnessed an unprecedented surge in criminal activity within his jurisdiction. He describes a violent conflict between rival criminal entrepreneurs that erupted in June 2024, characterized by murders, attempted murders, arson, and extortion. "The war started in Prato, but has now reached a national and even international dimension," Tescaroli stated, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

The victims in the Rome killings are believed to have strong ties to Prato. Zhang Dayong, in particular, is identified as a key figure, allegedly the right-hand man to Zhang Naizhong, described by Italian media as the 'boss of all bosses' of the Chinese underworld. Zhang Naizhong himself was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of heading a mafia-like organization involved in extortion, usury, and drug trafficking, with operations spanning Italy, France, and Germany, and controlling logistics crucial to Prato's fashion center. While the main trial against Zhang Naizhong and 57 co-defendants has been delayed for years, the alleged boss and his associates have become targets. The period preceding the Rome murders saw a spate of violent incidents, including arsons targeting logistics companies linked to Zhang's network, primarily in Tuscany. In February, coordinated incendiary attacks struck three logistics firms in Prato and its environs, with one targeted company connected to Zhang's son. Similar incidents were reported near Paris and Madrid, and La Repubblica has documented at least 15 violent acts in the Prato area since June 2024.

The core of this conflict, according to Prosecutor Tescaroli, lies in fierce price wars within the transport sector and, notably, in the manufacturing of clothes hangers. These essential components for the fast fashion industry have become a focal point for criminal competition. The illicit nature of these operations is deeply embedded, with Tescaroli highlighting the existence of an 'illegal business system in Prato that operates in parallel to legal ones.' This underground economy thrives on circumventing regulations and exploiting labor, creating a potent brew of crime and commerce.

Penetrating the opaque world of overseas Chinese criminal networks has proven exceedingly difficult for Italian authorities. The linguistic diversity alone presents a formidable barrier, with investigations revealing the use of at least six distinct Chinese dialects in intercepted communications. This linguistic complexity, coupled with a deeply ingrained code of silence – a 'wall of omertà' reminiscent of traditional Italian mafia structures – has historically shielded these operations. However, Prosecutor Tescaroli's strategic approach has begun to chip away at this wall.

A significant breakthrough occurred when entrepreneur Chang Meng Zhang, reportedly a low-cost clothes hanger manufacturer for Prato's fashion firms, became a cooperating witness after surviving a brutal knife attack in July 2024. "We have succeeded in breaking the silence. Now five entrepreneurs and 154 workers are cooperating with us," Tescaroli announced with pride. He attributes this success to a deliberate communication strategy, including detailed press releases that have informed the public and the Chinese community about the ongoing conflict, which local media have aptly dubbed the 'war of the clothes hangers.' This transparency initiative has apparently yielded results, even prompting Zhang Naizhong's son to contact the prosecutor's office.

The implications of this conflict extend far beyond law enforcement. The Chinese community in Prato is not merely a demographic presence; it forms the economic backbone of the municipality. However, the methods employed often operate in a grey area, extending beyond the 'clothes hanger war.' Tescaroli describes a 'parallel economic system' driven by an insatiable quest for profit, where legal and ethical boundaries are frequently disregarded. This system allegedly involves sophisticated tax evasion schemes, such as routing raw materials through Eastern Europe to avoid duties, and the illicit repatriation of multi-million euro profits via clandestine banking channels and cryptocurrency platforms. Widespread illegal labor is endemic, fueling the fast fashion industry's relentless pursuit of maximum profit through minimized production costs, with the societal and human cost borne by others.

The human cost is starkly illustrated by the plight of workers like Attique Muhammad, a 30-year-old Pakistani national. For Muhammad, the grueling 14-hour workdays, six days a week, with minimal breaks and working through the cold Italian winters in a jacket, pale in comparison to the profound shame of being unable to adequately support his family back home. "They say I should just find a new job. But first I need money for a new room," he expressed, his voice heavy with sorrow.

Muhammad's story is emblematic of the exploitation rampant in many of Prato's factories. He recounts his experience working in a red-brick factory, producing garments under harsh conditions, illuminated by stark neon lights. He hadn't received wages for over two months when his Chinese employer abruptly abandoned the premises shortly after a health authority inspection, allegedly absconding with valuable machinery. This practice, known as 'apri e chiudi' (open and close), is a ruthless tactic employed by some Chinese companies. When faced with penalties or mounting debts, they shutter operations, only to re-emerge under a different name, often fronted by a designated individual.

While Chinese entrepreneurs historically favored hiring compatriots, the landscape has shifted, with many low-wage workers from South Asia now occupying the sewing machines. Muhammad, who has been sewing since he was 15, moving from Pakistan to Turkey and briefly working in Germany, saw Prato as a second chance after his asylum application was rejected in Germany. He initially earned around 1,600 euros a month, with his employer arranging basic shared accommodation. However, when the boss vanished, essential services like heating and electricity were cut off.

In July, Muhammad and his fellow workers decided they had endured enough. They initiated strikes, demonstrations, and factory occupations, finding unexpected allies in a group of young Italian activists. Arturo Gambassi, a 22-year-old history student and member of the Sudd Cobas union, has been actively supporting the exploited workers, even spending nights on the factory floor with them. "It's absurd that such conditions exist only 20 minutes from a world-famous tourist destination like Florence," Gambassi remarked, highlighting the stark contrast between Tuscany's renowned beauty and the grim reality of labor exploitation.

This grassroots movement, comprising around 20 young adults and teenagers in Prato, has successfully mobilized some of the exploited workforce. Their collective actions have already led to dozens of workers securing regular employment contracts. The 'war of the clothes hangers' is not just a conflict between criminal factions; it is also a burgeoning struggle for basic human rights and fair labor practices within the heart of Italy's fast fashion empire, exposing the systemic exploitation that underpins the industry's global success.

Ekhbary News Agency