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The term "maranza" has forcefully entered the Italian and European public debate, transforming into a word that encompasses much more than its original meaning. Today, it represents a complex social phenomenon involving second and third-generation youth, often of North African origin, who are protagonists of episodes of violence, brawls, and micro-criminality that have cast a spotlight on a problem affecting the entire continent.

The Origins of a Controversial Term

The word "maranza" has a longer history than one might imagine. The first attestation dates back to 1988, when singer-songwriter Jovanotti used it in the song "Il capo della banda" as a synonym for "tamarro" or "coatto" (Italian slang for a flashy, rough-around-the-edges type). At the time, it simply described those young people who flaunted a rebellious attitude and disregard for social norms.

Over the years, however, the term has undergone a profound semantic evolution. According to the Accademia della Crusca, Italy's prestigious linguistic academy, it now designates young people who "flaunt street attitudes, particular musical tastes, flashy clothing and accessories, and often vulgar language." The decisive turning point occurred around 2009, when some far-right groups began using the word in an openly racist manner, associating it with the alleged "invasion" of foreigners in Milan. From that moment on, the term gradually acquired an ethnic connotation that today appears dominant in public discourse.

The Phenomenon in Europe: A Cross-Border Problem

The maranza are not exclusively Italian. As highlighted during the presentation of the book "Piumini e catene" (Quilts and Chains) at the European Parliament, the phenomenon "has become a European issue that Europe must confront." Carlo Fidanza, head of the delegation of Brothers of Italy at the European Parliament, emphasized how the question "calls into question the defense of borders from an uncontrolled model of immigration."

In Germany, the phenomenon has taken on alarming contours, with a 15% increase in knife-related crimes in just one year. After the Solingen massacre, where three people were killed and eight injured during a concert, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz banned knives at public festivals and on trains. The German police union even proposed rewarding the voluntary surrender of forbidden knives with a Netflix subscription.

The Response of Italian Institutions

The Italian government has reacted with a bill that profoundly modifies juvenile justice. The reform, promoted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, does not lower the age of criminal responsibility (which remains set at 14 years), but introduces a "presumption of responsibility" for minors. As Minister Nordio explained, "the maturity of the minor is presumed, and it will be up to the defense to provide contrary evidence to demonstrate their incapacity."

Meloni clarified the objective of the reform: "Those who make mistakes must pay, even if they are minors. The law is mainly aimed at those who believe they are untouchable and exploit minors as labor for their own affairs, but it also serves to punish those kids who think they can do whatever they want because they know nothing will happen to them." Data from the Ministry of the Interior shows a 15.34% increase in minors arrested or reported between 2010 and 2022, with a spike in violent crimes such as robberies, brawls, and intentional injuries.

A Geography of Fear

The phenomenon is concentrated especially in the cities of northern Italy. In Milan, injuries caused by under-18s with knives represent 48% of the total, while in Genoa the peak reaches 55%. In some cities, the perception of insecurity is such that some residents no longer go out in the evening without company.

The response of local communities is sometimes spontaneous and grassroots. In Harsefeld, a small German town of just ten thousand inhabitants, about three hundred parents organized night patrols after a baby gang had started beating and blackmailing classmates. The result was surprising: for two months, the gang seems to have disappeared. The local police, while defining the initiative as "disturbing," admitted that since citizens have been patrolling the streets, crimes have ceased.

The Deep Roots of Discomfort

But are the maranza just a public security problem, or the symptom of a broader social failure? According to Roberto Demontis, a professional educator with over thirty years of street experience, it is an "explosive mix" determined by social exclusion. Data from the Genoa Juvenile Prosecutor's Office shows a 30% increase in crimes committed by minors in 2023 compared to the previous year, with a +43% for unaccompanied foreign minors.

"The lack of social mobility unleashes the anger of the excluded," explains Demontis. "For foreign kids, the first indicator of exclusion is undoubtedly school. Dropout rates skyrocket in the first or second year of high school. These kids are on the streets and gather in groups that are not necessarily violent, but some, who feel the anger of exclusion more strongly, begin to commit crimes."

The Role of Social Networks

Social media plays a fundamental role in amplifying the phenomenon. Violence becomes "content, performance, rite of passage." As Massimiliano Paparcipone, a resident of an area affected by the phenomenon, explains: "They have no distinguishing marks, but for them, only the profile on the internet matters. Violence – real or staged – becomes content, performance, a rite of passage. Digital 'fame' is the new symbolic capital: those who get likes gain followers and feel important."

Police investigations have monitored thousands of social profiles, some of which incited hatred and physical violence, even against law enforcement. Social media has allowed "bravado and showing off to bounce from profile to profile, to witness crimes against people or property with a smartphone, to glorify arrogant behavior, and to fuel the boasting of certain youth groups."

A Polarized Debate

The maranza phenomenon has polarized the political debate. On one side, the right tends to emphasize the security dimension and the connection with uncontrolled immigration. On the other, the left and social inclusion experts underline the need for educational interventions and prevention. Some, like Fanpage director Francesco Cancellato, speak of a "perfect scapegoat for 2026," arguing that the emergency was "planned with attention and care" and that "cyclically a scapegoat is needed, an enemy – possibly non-voting – on whom to unleash social anger and anxiety."

Marco Rizzo, coordinator of Democracy Sovereign and Popular, adopts a hard line: "Those who cause these troubles must go to jail. Only in Italy can there be people who do whatever they want, steal, snatch, rob. We need to build prisons, make prisoners work because those who work don't commit crimes. Sentences must be certain."

Toward a Solution

Beyond political divisions, the need for structural and long-term interventions emerges. Demontis cites positive examples from abroad: the "Credible Messenger" program born in New York, which led to a 60% reduction in youth crime through the use of former convicts as community mediators; the "SOS" model in London, which uses former convicts to intervene in prisons with young detainees.

"No one has died, purely by luck," recounts a parent from Harsefeld. "I saw a video of an assault at the station: they almost pushed him onto the tracks." A testimony that captures the severity of a phenomenon that, if not addressed adequately, risks overwhelming society. The maranza problem is not just Italian but European, and requires responses that go beyond simple repression, focusing on integration, education, and the social recovery of the most vulnerable young people.