Rototom Free: Innocent, cleared of all charges

With regard to the absolution of the director of Rototom Sunsplash, Filippo Giunta, of all charges by the Italian courts today, Wednesday, May 13, the festival wants to express that this represents the last chapter of a bitter story that started in 2009, six years ago, with the political persecution of the festival as a result of the Fini-Giovanardi Law, that that permitted the criminalization of its activity to the point where the festival had to move from Italy to Spain.

“It was an ideological trial and a fight for freedom”, Giunta said, while remembering that “unlike what usually tends to happen in Italy, we accelerated the conclusion of the case, thereby significantly reducing the number of defense witnesses in order to obtain a sentence before the case expired”, he explained.

“We don’t want there to be a shred of doubt regarding the fact that the organization of the reggae music festival is, above all, cultural manifestation that has nothing to do with the criminal act of promoting the consumption of marihuana, of which I was accused”, the director of Rototom Sunsplash remarked.

The director of the reggae festival also wanted to thank “the many people, organizations and associations who all stood by us all these years and believed in us and our innocence”.