Caltavuturo massacre
Encyclopedia
The Caltavuturo massacre took place on January 20, 1893, in Caltavuturo
in the Province of Palermo
(Sicily), when during the celebration of Saint Sebastian, some 500 peasants returning from the symbolic occupation of 250 hectares of communal land were dispersed by soldiers and policemen, killing 13 and wounding 21 peasants. The claim for land reform was one of the demands of the Fasci Siciliani
(Sicilian Leagues), a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration in 1891-1894.
was abolished in Sicily. Before the abolition of feudalism, the villagers had the right to go on estates to collect firewood and vegetables, but that right expired in 1812 arousing the ire of the entire population. The dispute about access to the land lasted for years, until an agreement was reached under which the duke agreed to cede 250 hectares to the municipality in exchange for giving up the 'communal rights'.
The citizens of Caltavuturo who waited anxiously to get hold of a piece of land to feed their families, fell from the frying pan into the fire. While the municipality had to distribute the land among the villagers, town administrators and notables stalled the distribution, because they wanted to appropriate the land personally. In the fall of 1892, with the advent of the Fasci Siciliani, the peasants were convinced that the distribution of the land was imminent and set aside grain to be used as seed. However, past mid-January of 1893, nothing had been done to divide the land, risking that it could not been sown in time that year.
On the evening of January 19 a crowded meeting discussed what to do next. Some pleaded for occupying the land while moderates argued for patience. After the meeting, the more radical elements went from house to house and convinced many to occupy the land early the next morning. Other leaders got wind of the manifestation and informed the army and police, while infiltrators were send among the peasants.
When they returned to join their companions in the fields they were stopped in the Via Vittorio Emanuele by soldiers, policemen and two municipal guards, with the intention of preventing the two groups meet. The commander once again tried to persuade the peasants to disperse and return to their homes, but some of the protesters threw stones at the troops, who fired two shots in the air. The warning shots did not intimidate the farmers, who continued to advance, throwing stones against the police. At this point, they heard more shots, followed by a salvo of rifle fire. Several protesters fell to the ground in a pool of blood. Eight people were killed on the spot and 26 were wounded; five later died in the days after the shooting.
At first, people hearing the shots, thought it was firecrackers in honour of San Sebastian, but the tragic massacre soon became clear. The unharmed protesters fled to the mountains, but military reinforcements from Palermo triggered a real manhunt and arrested several peasants.
, Bernardino Verro
and Nicola Barbato
, who organized financial contributions to help the families of victims. The socialist leader Napoleone Colajanni
harshly attacked the government in parliamentary questions.
The memorial service was held in Corleone
and attracted more than 4,000 people from the surrounding towns.
Caltavuturo
Caltavuturo is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The neighboring comunes are Polizzi Generosa, Scillato and Sclafani Bagni.-History:...
in the Province of Palermo
Province of Palermo
The Province of Palermo is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. The Province of Palermo has 82 comuni , 1,239,272 inhabitants, and is 4,992 km² .-External links:...
(Sicily), when during the celebration of Saint Sebastian, some 500 peasants returning from the symbolic occupation of 250 hectares of communal land were dispersed by soldiers and policemen, killing 13 and wounding 21 peasants. The claim for land reform was one of the demands of the Fasci Siciliani
Fasci Siciliani
The Fasci Siciliani, short for Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori , were a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration, which arose in Sicily in the years between 1889 and 1894...
(Sicilian Leagues), a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration in 1891-1894.
Background
The 250 hectares of communal land had been ceded to the municipality of Caltavuturo by the Duke of Fernardina, owner of more than 6,000 hectares of land (more than half of the entire municipality) after 1812 – the year that feudalismFeudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
was abolished in Sicily. Before the abolition of feudalism, the villagers had the right to go on estates to collect firewood and vegetables, but that right expired in 1812 arousing the ire of the entire population. The dispute about access to the land lasted for years, until an agreement was reached under which the duke agreed to cede 250 hectares to the municipality in exchange for giving up the 'communal rights'.
The citizens of Caltavuturo who waited anxiously to get hold of a piece of land to feed their families, fell from the frying pan into the fire. While the municipality had to distribute the land among the villagers, town administrators and notables stalled the distribution, because they wanted to appropriate the land personally. In the fall of 1892, with the advent of the Fasci Siciliani, the peasants were convinced that the distribution of the land was imminent and set aside grain to be used as seed. However, past mid-January of 1893, nothing had been done to divide the land, risking that it could not been sown in time that year.
On the evening of January 19 a crowded meeting discussed what to do next. Some pleaded for occupying the land while moderates argued for patience. After the meeting, the more radical elements went from house to house and convinced many to occupy the land early the next morning. Other leaders got wind of the manifestation and informed the army and police, while infiltrators were send among the peasants.
The massacre
Landless peasants occupied the communal land at dawn and began to hoe the fields. The commander of the military stationed in the county tried to persuade the peasants to leave the fields and go home. The crowd ignored the warning and began to whistle and yell at the troops. To prevent the situation from worsening, the military withdrew and returned to the town. Shortly thereafter, a group of protesters stopped to till the soil and went to the town hall, demanding to speak with the mayor to no avail.When they returned to join their companions in the fields they were stopped in the Via Vittorio Emanuele by soldiers, policemen and two municipal guards, with the intention of preventing the two groups meet. The commander once again tried to persuade the peasants to disperse and return to their homes, but some of the protesters threw stones at the troops, who fired two shots in the air. The warning shots did not intimidate the farmers, who continued to advance, throwing stones against the police. At this point, they heard more shots, followed by a salvo of rifle fire. Several protesters fell to the ground in a pool of blood. Eight people were killed on the spot and 26 were wounded; five later died in the days after the shooting.
At first, people hearing the shots, thought it was firecrackers in honour of San Sebastian, but the tragic massacre soon became clear. The unharmed protesters fled to the mountains, but military reinforcements from Palermo triggered a real manhunt and arrested several peasants.
Aftermath
The news of the massacre created a national scandal and mobilized the Fasci, led by the most prestigious leaders, such as Rosario Garibaldi BoscoRosario Garibaldi Bosco
Rosario Garibaldi Bosco was an Italian politician and writer; a Republican-inspired socialist...
, Bernardino Verro
Bernardino Verro
Bernardino Verro was a Sicilian sindicalist and politician. He was involved in the Fasci Siciliani a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration in 1891-1894, and became the first socialist mayor of Corleone...
and Nicola Barbato
Nicola Barbato
Nicola Barbato, , was a Arbëreshë socialist and politician. He was one of the national leaders of the Fasci Siciliani a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration in 1891-1894, and perhaps might have been the ablest among them, according to the Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm.-Early...
, who organized financial contributions to help the families of victims. The socialist leader Napoleone Colajanni
Napoleone Colajanni
Napoleone Colajanni was an Italian writer, journalist, criminologist, socialist and politician. In the 1880s he abandoned republicanism for socialism, and became Italy’s leading theoretical writer on the issue for a time...
harshly attacked the government in parliamentary questions.
The memorial service was held in Corleone
Corleone
Corleone is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy....
and attracted more than 4,000 people from the surrounding towns.
In literature and film
- One of the leaders of the Fasci, Rosario Garibaldi BoscoRosario Garibaldi BoscoRosario Garibaldi Bosco was an Italian politician and writer; a Republican-inspired socialist...
, wrote a play about the event, Il giorno di San Sebastiano (Saint Sebastian Day). - The film Il giorno di San SebastianoIl giorno di San SebastianoIl giorno di San Sebastiano is an Italian film written and directed by Pasquale Scimeca. The film is based on true historical events, the Caltavuturo massacre that took place on January 20, 1893, in Caltavuturo in the Province of Palermo , during the celebration of Saint Sebastian.On that day some...
(Saint Sebastian's Day) (1993), directed by Pasquale ScimecaPasquale Scimeca-Filmography:* Il giorno di San Sebastiano * Placido Rizzotto * Gli indesiderabili * Il cavaliere sole * Malavoglia -External links:...
100 years after the event, is based on Bosco’s play about the Caltavuturo massacre. It won a Golden Globe and was presented at the Venice film festivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.