- Primavalle Fire
The Primavalle Fire ("Rogo di Primavalle" in Italian) was an
arson occurred inRome onApril 16 1973 , which caused the death of two youngsters, children ofneo-fascist MSI member Mario Mattei.The fire was caused by terrorists of the far left
autonomist groupPotere Operaio , who, during the night, threw an inflammable substance on the door of the house of Mattei, in the quarter ofPrimavalle . Mattei was the local leader ofMovimento Sociale Italiano , the Italian post-Fascist party. When the fire broke out, Mattei and part of his family managed to escape, but his son, Virgilio, aged 22, and Stefano, aged 8, burnt to death.In the aftermath of the fire, some prominent Italian intellectuals (e.g.
Norberto Bobbio ) mobilized in favor of the left-wing activists accused of committing these murders, and tried to attribute the attack to internal dissensions among MSI members.Activists of Potere Operaio Achille Lollo, Marino Clavo, Manlio Grillo were eventually convicted and condemned to 18 years in a second degree sentence. However, while on bail, Lollo fled to Brazil, where his crime was declared prescribed. Grillo fled to
Nicaragua , helped byOreste Scalzone , who had also assisted Lollo. As of 2007, Marino Clavo is in hiding.In two interviews released in 2005, both Lollo and Grillo admitted for the first time their responsibility in the act. Grillo also declared that Potere Operaio had connections with the
Red Brigades .Franco Piperno , national secretary of Potere Operaio in 1973, also confirmed that the leaders of the organization were informed of the fire facts some days after it, and kept all members' responsibilities hidden.ee also
*
Potere Operaio
*Movimento Sociale Italiano References
*cite book|year=1974|author=AA.VV.|title=Primavalle - Incendio a porte chiuse|publisher=Salvelli
*cite book|year=1999|first=Valerio|last=Morucci|title=Ritratto di un terrorista da giovane|id= EAN 9788838444623
*cite book|year=2006|first=Luca |last=Telese|title=Cuori Neri. Dal rogo di Primavalle alla morte di Ramelli|id=ISBN 8820036150
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
