Those who read these pages probably know the story of Franco Serantini
and especially his tragic death on May 7, 1972 in Pisa. An event that
with the passage of time can be considered emblematic of a season whose
story periodically resurfaces in the Italian political debate. ---- In
that period, among the parties present in Parliament there was one, the
"Italian Social Movement" (MSI), which hid without much success under
the mask of a "respectable" right its underlying ideology that derived
from that of historical fascism. The politics of this party developed on
two levels: in the parliamentary halls in favor of all conservative
governments and all the most reactionary and repressive laws and outside
the Palace with the more or less open support of violent actions that
targeted the forces of the left, both the moderate and the so-called
revolutionary. A continuous series of provocations, beatings and attacks
against anyone who contested the parties that then held power and the
policies of the Governments and the bosses.
In those years, historical anti-fascism, the one that had supported the
Resistance, had crystallized in the so-called "constitutional arch" and
began to transform into something merely celebratory, good only for the
institutional demonstrations of April 25.
In the real world, however, things were quite different. Starting in the
1960s, to defend themselves from the violence that came from members of
the MSI and other smaller fascist groups, a movement had developed that
was widespread throughout the peninsula and included thousands of
people. A movement that was not afraid to respond appropriately to what
was then called "neo-fascism".
The city of Pisa was no exception and for this reason we should not be
surprised that the young anarchist Franco Serantini, student and worker,
on May 5, 1972, took to the streets, together with hundreds of other
people, to protest the electoral rally of a well-known local exponent of
the MSI. As often happened on such occasions, the protest was attacked
by the police, who arrived in force from other cities, and the center of
Pisa was filled with tear gas smoke for hours. The charges of the police
were very heavy, given the resistance put up by those protesting and
Franco Serantini was beaten and arrested during one of those many
charges. He remained in prison, practically without receiving treatment,
for two days and only during the autopsy was it discovered that he had
been literally massacred by the beatings received by the police.
Despite the uproar caused by the fact, which also reached Parliament,
and despite the murderers having signed the crime, the culprits were
never identified. Franco Serantini's name was added to the sad list of
victims of fascist massacres that also contains the names of other
comrades killed by the police. But his has become History, certainly in
Pisa where he is remembered every year, with the most diverse
initiatives, but also elsewhere thanks to the memory of anarchists, a
memory destined to last forever.
As time has passed, attempts to rewrite the anti-fascism of those years
have increased, presenting it as a sort of "gang war", between
right-wing and left-wing militants. Militant anti-fascism has been
limited to individual episodes in an attempt to make it appear as a
senseless explosion of gratuitous violence. In reality, the determined
opposition to the activities of the fascists had been a generous
attempt, put in place by a strong social opposition movement, to counter
a specific policy that would materialize over the years through the long
sequence of attacks and massacres in which, in one way or another,
right-wing militants were involved. The majority party of the alliance
currently in government maintains - certainly not by chance - in its
symbol that of the old MSI and therefore refers directly and explicitly
to it, inheriting, consequently, the heavy responsibilities accumulated.
Despite the continuous and pathetic attempts to hide, especially through
disinformation, its underlying ideology.
Placing the story of the life and murder of Franco Serantini in the
context of the anti-fascist struggle that characterized those distant
years is a way not only to remember him with dignity and without too
much rhetoric but also an opportunity to reflect and to make others
reflect on those events, something that continues to be useful even
after so much time.
Pepsy
https://umanitanova.org/franco-serantini-una-storia-antifascista/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
and especially his tragic death on May 7, 1972 in Pisa. An event that
with the passage of time can be considered emblematic of a season whose
story periodically resurfaces in the Italian political debate. ---- In
that period, among the parties present in Parliament there was one, the
"Italian Social Movement" (MSI), which hid without much success under
the mask of a "respectable" right its underlying ideology that derived
from that of historical fascism. The politics of this party developed on
two levels: in the parliamentary halls in favor of all conservative
governments and all the most reactionary and repressive laws and outside
the Palace with the more or less open support of violent actions that
targeted the forces of the left, both the moderate and the so-called
revolutionary. A continuous series of provocations, beatings and attacks
against anyone who contested the parties that then held power and the
policies of the Governments and the bosses.
In those years, historical anti-fascism, the one that had supported the
Resistance, had crystallized in the so-called "constitutional arch" and
began to transform into something merely celebratory, good only for the
institutional demonstrations of April 25.
In the real world, however, things were quite different. Starting in the
1960s, to defend themselves from the violence that came from members of
the MSI and other smaller fascist groups, a movement had developed that
was widespread throughout the peninsula and included thousands of
people. A movement that was not afraid to respond appropriately to what
was then called "neo-fascism".
The city of Pisa was no exception and for this reason we should not be
surprised that the young anarchist Franco Serantini, student and worker,
on May 5, 1972, took to the streets, together with hundreds of other
people, to protest the electoral rally of a well-known local exponent of
the MSI. As often happened on such occasions, the protest was attacked
by the police, who arrived in force from other cities, and the center of
Pisa was filled with tear gas smoke for hours. The charges of the police
were very heavy, given the resistance put up by those protesting and
Franco Serantini was beaten and arrested during one of those many
charges. He remained in prison, practically without receiving treatment,
for two days and only during the autopsy was it discovered that he had
been literally massacred by the beatings received by the police.
Despite the uproar caused by the fact, which also reached Parliament,
and despite the murderers having signed the crime, the culprits were
never identified. Franco Serantini's name was added to the sad list of
victims of fascist massacres that also contains the names of other
comrades killed by the police. But his has become History, certainly in
Pisa where he is remembered every year, with the most diverse
initiatives, but also elsewhere thanks to the memory of anarchists, a
memory destined to last forever.
As time has passed, attempts to rewrite the anti-fascism of those years
have increased, presenting it as a sort of "gang war", between
right-wing and left-wing militants. Militant anti-fascism has been
limited to individual episodes in an attempt to make it appear as a
senseless explosion of gratuitous violence. In reality, the determined
opposition to the activities of the fascists had been a generous
attempt, put in place by a strong social opposition movement, to counter
a specific policy that would materialize over the years through the long
sequence of attacks and massacres in which, in one way or another,
right-wing militants were involved. The majority party of the alliance
currently in government maintains - certainly not by chance - in its
symbol that of the old MSI and therefore refers directly and explicitly
to it, inheriting, consequently, the heavy responsibilities accumulated.
Despite the continuous and pathetic attempts to hide, especially through
disinformation, its underlying ideology.
Placing the story of the life and murder of Franco Serantini in the
context of the anti-fascist struggle that characterized those distant
years is a way not only to remember him with dignity and without too
much rhetoric but also an opportunity to reflect and to make others
reflect on those events, something that continues to be useful even
after so much time.
Pepsy
https://umanitanova.org/franco-serantini-una-storia-antifascista/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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