- Camillo Berneri
Camillo Berneri (also known as Camillo da Lodi;
May 28 1897 , Lodi—May 5 1937 ,Barcelona ) was an Italian professor of philosophy,anarchist militant, propagandist and theorist.Berneri, a
World War I veteran,University of Florence professor ofhumanities , and a member of theUnione Anarchica Italiana , had been opposed to the takeover of his country by Fascists, engaging in resistance until 1926, when he was forced to take refuge toFrance , thenSwitzerland ,Germany ,Belgium ,Luxembourg , and finally theNetherlands . In all these countries, Berneri was frequently placed under arrest, being usually expelled. Although under constant surveillance, he nonetheless wrote on several topics, mostly anti-clerical and anti-fascist articles.With
Carlo Rosselli , Berneri organized the first column of Italian volunteers to fight in theSpanish Civil War againstFrancisco Franco 's attempted takeover, where he took part in the battles ofMonte Pelado andHuesca (inAragon ) together with the Spanish anarchists ofFrancisco Ascaso Column and the Italians of theMatteotti Battalion . He became highly critical of the involvement ofConfederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) members in the Popular Front government, expressing his views in an open letter toFederica Montseny (Anarchist minister for Health).During the
Barcelona May Days , as squads ofCommunist Party of Spain members (apparently under orders fromJoseph Stalin ) took to the streets in order to hunt down leading anarchists, Berneri was dragged from his home and murdered. His body, riddled with bullets, was found during the night, near the headquarters of theGeneralitat de Catalunya .He was married to
Giovanna Berneri , and was father ofMarie-Louise Berneri andGiliane Berneri , all of whom were also anarchists.See also
*
Anarchism in Italy External links
* [http://libcom.org/history/berneri-luigi-camillo-1897-1937 Camillo Berneri Page] on Libcom site
* [http://recollectionbooks.com/bleed/Encyclopedia/BerneriCamillo.htm Camillo Berneri Page] on the Anarchist Encyclopedia site
* [http://struggle.ws/berneri.html The Writings of Camillo Berneri]
* [http://www.anarchyisorder.org/CD%234/TXT-versions/Berneri,%20Camillo%20-%20Selected%20Writings.txt Selected Writings]
** [http://www.anarchyisorder.org/CD%234/Lay-outed%20texts/PDF-versions/Berneri,%20Camillo%20-%20Selected%20Writings.pdf (PDF)]
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