In August 1922, two months before the March on Rome, the city of Parma resisted
and twice prevented the squadrons from entering the city. This ultimate organizedresistance to fascism, the Events of Parma (Fatti di Parma), is the work ofanarchist, communist and trade union activists who knew how to impose socialstruggle and class solidarity against fascist violence. ---- On October 28, 1922,the March on Rome (Marcia su Roma), a demonstration of force by the Italianfactions of the Partito Nazionale Fascista (National Fascist Party, PNF) with aview to putting pressure on the power in place, will succeed the appointment ofMussolini - who had prudently remained in Milan - as head of government. Thisgreat warrior moment in fascist mythology was in fact a military fiasco, thethousands of squadrists (we are talking about 26,000 men) who participate in theMarch are poorly organized, poorly equipped and are quickly attacked and blockedby anti-fascist forces locals in the popular district of San Lorenzo, thenstopped by a few hundred carabinieri.The armed forces installed in the capital were for their part at least as largein number, and much better armed and organized than the fascists. However, thearmy does not wish to intervene, many officers are even openly favorable to thefascists, and it has already shown benevolence - or even more - towards thesquadrists, who have already taken power in several localities. The politicalauthorities procrastinate then quickly give in to fascist blackmail and finallyentrust power to Mussolini. Italy was entering a long period of fascist terrorand violence, which would end more than twenty years later with the execution ofMussolini on the shores of Lake Como by a group of partisans in April 1945.A particularly active agrarian fascismThe March on Rome is in fact the epilogue of several months of extreme violenceby fascist troops who seize socialist localities and physically intimidateseveral ministers. Thus the towns of Civitavecchia, Ancona, Terni, Bolzano thenTrento were taken and then occupied by fascist troops during the months ofSeptember and October 1922. There was then an acceleration and generalization ofthe violence of the squadristi[1]which since 1920 mainly targeted places andorganizations of the social movement.Although claiming to be social, fascism primarily targets revolutionary activistsand organizations. It was the People's Houses and trade union headquarters thatwere first targeted, particularly in the industrial north where a particularlyactive agrarian fascism is developing. Only the big cities such as Milan, Turinor Genoa are resisting this violence which will cause hundreds of deaths and tensof thousands of injuries. This was particularly the case in Bologna in November1920 where the fascists, allied with the local right and the industrialists ofthe city, attacked the Palace of Accursio in order to prevent the red flag frombeing raised during the investiture of the new mayor. , a socialist railwayworker. Violent clashes ensued, leaving eleven dead and around sixty injured. Inthe south, many socialist leaders are assassinated by squadrists.In the summer of 1922, the surge of fascist violence intensified. This is dueboth to the impunity shown by the authorities vis-à-vis this violence, which wascertainly publicly criticized but partly accepted when it affected the supportersof a socialist revolution, and to the internal games within the Fascist Partybetween supporters of the political path and the hardline tendency, thesquadrists, favorable to a seizure of power by arms - Mussolini relyingalternately on the two tendencies.Parma, the fascists retreatIt was in this context that on July 31, 1922, the Alleanza del Lavoro, whichbrought together left-wing trade unions, called for a strike "against fascistviolence" and "the indifference of the state towards it". But the strike wasfinally announced earlier than it should have been, nullifying the effect ofsurprise and giving Mussolini time to organize his troops. The latter thensecretly sent very explicit instructions to all the federations of the PNF: "If,forty-eight hours after the proclamation of the strike, the government has notsucceeded in crushing it, the fascists will provide for it directly. The Fascistsmust, once the forty-eight hour period has elapsed, and if the strike continues,target the capitals of the respective provinces and occupy them".The order is given to crush the strikers, if the State does not take care of it,by occupying the localities concerned. The community of interests between thefascists and large sections of the Italian industrial and agrarian bourgeoisiehad already led in many localities to entrust the blackshirts with the role ofguarantors of order.Among the cities particularly watched by the fascists are several port cities,Bari in the first place, but also Ancona and Genoa, without forgetting Livornoand then in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, Parma, Parma the red. It is evenaccording to Michele Bianchi, national secretary of the PNF, their main problem.Parma and Guido Picelli, charismatic socialist then communist leader, tradeunionist, and tireless anti-fascist militant at the head of the Arditi del Popolo(Soldiers of the People) of Parma.Parmesan mural in homage to the Arditi del Popolo. The memory of the anti-fascistresistance is still deeply rooted in the minds of the Parmesan people.And while the strike seemed set to last in the city, some 10,000 squadrists, ledby local executives, were then mobilized for the occupation of the city (the PNFhad 700,000 members at that time). Very quickly, it appears that the city willnot surrender without a fight and Mussolini entrusts the direction of themaneuver to Roberto Farinacci, one of the hardliners of the PNF, brutal leader ofthe rural squadrons of the Po plain whose excesses Mussolini has often disavowed.The objective is to bend the parmesan cheeses, but against the blackshirts theresistance is organized and solid.There is in fact in Parma a large battalion of the Arditi del Popolo, ananti-fascist organization created in 1921 on the initiative of the anarchist ArgoSecondari, a former lieutenant of a special corps of the Italian army during theFirst World War, the Departed from Assalto whose members were called Arditi. Theobjective of the Arditi del Popolo is to physically oppose fascist violence. Ifseveral of its most important members were anarchists (Argo Secondari or AntonioCieri), the Arditi del Popolo also had many communists in their ranks. But thePCI (Partito Comunista Italiano) did not support their creation and the Arditireceived little support from the communist leaders, apart from the frank anddirect support of Antonio Gramsci and several leaders of the minority faction.On August 2, at dawn, the 10 to 20,000 squadrists, according to the sources, fromall over Italy, Emilians, Tuscans, Venetians, Marches, Lombards, each behind thepennants and insignia of their respective Fasci di combattimento , certain tosettle the case in a few hours, proudly advance, ready to swoop down on the city.In Parma, the Arditi del Popolo and their allies Formazioni di difesa proletaria(Proletarian Defense Formations) are strongly supported by the local populationand the first assaults by the squadrists come up against unexpected popularresistance.The inhabitants of Oltretorrente, Borgo Naviglio and Borgo Saffi face up,barricades are erected in the popular neighborhoods under the coordination of theArditi del Popolo who, with their experience of the First World War, make theminto mini fortifications, with ditches and sharp objects, much more effectivethan simple stacks. These barricades quickly prove to be of rare efficiency andthe fascists ultimately fail to enter the city.Mussolini then disavows Farinacci and entrusts Italo Balbo[2], decorated for hisfeats of arms during the First World War and one of the most influential figuresof the fascist party, with the direction of the troops. The latter, and despitethe arrival of Blackshirt reinforcements, still fails to make a breakthrough inthe part of the city defended by its inhabitants. On August 6, after four days offailures, disappointed in the face of the Parmesan resistance, the fascistsdeemed it preferable to beat a retreat and devastated the buildings locatedoutside the undefended zones, in particular the offices of the newspaper IlPiccolo, of the Union of Labor and the People's Party.Confinement, prison, exile abroad and deathThe Fatti di Parma constitute the last episode of the organized resistanceagainst fascism. Once in power, his opponents experienced confinement, prison,exile abroad and death. It was not until May 1942, in the towns of Carbonia andSesto San Giovanni, that workers found the courage to rebel against the regimeagain. Strikes were organised. The resistance in the solidarity of the city ofParma showed that it was possible to physically oppose the violence of thesquadristi. These were not invincible.Barricade erected on Nino Bixio street. The barricades rose in the citypreventing the squadristi from entering the popular districts. The Arditi delPopolo could count on the unfailing support of the Parmesan population stronglyanchored on the left.The fact that Italy fell into dictatorship a few months later was not inevitable.Left-wing organizations, such as the PCI, did not take the measure of what wasgoing on at the time. Faced with the squadristi it was necessary to organize aproletarian resistance which would oppose the fascists head-on. The bourgeoisieknew how to preserve its class interests, to sacrifice its institutions, certainthat its main interests would be preserved. Yesterday's lessons apply today.David (UCL Chambery)To validate[1]The squadristi (squadristes) are at the origin of groups of armed militiamen,former soldiers, who have been fighting since 1920 against the forces ofleft-wing politicians and trade unions. In the two years alone, 1920 and 1921, itis estimated that they were responsible for the direct deaths of more than twohundred leftists and more than a thousand injured. In 1922 Mussolini merged thesquadristi and the militants of the PNF, stating that they were in fact its armedwing.[2]Italo Balbo became famous in the early 1930s thanks to his aeronauticalexploits and in particular his flight across the Atlantic Ocean with 25 seaplanesfrom Italy to Chicago, where the Universal Exhibition was held. At that time, asaying was born in Parma, which says ironically : "Balbo t'è pasè l'Atlantic mamiga la Pèrma" (Balbo, you crossed the ocean but not the torrent of Parma)https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?1922-Parme-face-au-fascisme-paves-barricades-et-luttes-sociales_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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