Pietro Valpreda
Encyclopedia
Pietro Valpreda was an Italian anarchist
, dancer and novelist. He was victim of a miscarriage of justice
, sentenced to prison on charges of being responsible of the December 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing
, before being cleared sixteen years later.
Valpreda came from a poor working-class family in Milan
, and, after the end of his formal education, attended dance school. He made his living as a minor dancer on stage. He moved to Rome
in 1969 where he frequented the "Bakunin Circle," before founding with several friends the 22 March Circle.
Following the December 12, 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing
, carried out in the middle of the autunno caldo of 1969 (Hot Autumn), he was arrested by the police. A taximan testified having seen him on the Piazza a short time before the bombing, which left 16 dead and 88 injured. His testimony was later proved false. Another anarchist, Giuseppe Pinelli
, was also arrested for the bombing, and died a few days later while he was illegally detained by the police.
Pietro Valpreda's name was splashed across the media as "the monster of Piazza Fontana" and a television reporter claimed that "the guilty man has been found". For three years, he languished in jail, awaiting trial. All over Italy, there were huge pro-Valpreda demonstrations and the trial was moved to the deep south, to avoid "political interference". Valpreda published his prison diaries, entitled It Is Him - the words used by the alleged witness, taxi driver Cornelio Rolandi.
The Italian state took 16 years to conclude that Valpreda was clearly completely innocent and 32 years to find someone else guilty of the bombing. It was later found out that neofascists had carried out the bombing in the frame of the strategy of tension
.
After his release, Valpreda continued to work as a dancer and opened a bar in Milano. He wrote three books with Piero Colaprico
Anarchism in Italy
Italian anarchism as a movement began primarily from the influence of Mikhail Bakunin, Giuseppe Fanelli, and Errico Malatesta. From there it expanded to include illegalist individualist anarchism, and anarcho-syndicalism. It participated in the biennio rosso and survived fascism...
, dancer and novelist. He was victim of a miscarriage of justice
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
, sentenced to prison on charges of being responsible of the December 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing
Piazza Fontana bombing
The Piazza Fontana Bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on December 12, 1969 at 16:37, when a bomb exploded at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88...
, before being cleared sixteen years later.
Valpreda came from a poor working-class family in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, and, after the end of his formal education, attended dance school. He made his living as a minor dancer on stage. He moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1969 where he frequented the "Bakunin Circle," before founding with several friends the 22 March Circle.
Following the December 12, 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing
Piazza Fontana bombing
The Piazza Fontana Bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on December 12, 1969 at 16:37, when a bomb exploded at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88...
, carried out in the middle of the autunno caldo of 1969 (Hot Autumn), he was arrested by the police. A taximan testified having seen him on the Piazza a short time before the bombing, which left 16 dead and 88 injured. His testimony was later proved false. Another anarchist, Giuseppe Pinelli
Giuseppe Pinelli
Giuseppe "Pino" Pinelli was an Italian railway worker and anarchist activist, who died in the custody of Italian police in 1969 after being arrested. Pinelli was a member of the Milan Circle "Ponte della Ghisolfa". He was also the secretary of the Italian branch of the Anarchist Black Cross...
, was also arrested for the bombing, and died a few days later while he was illegally detained by the police.
Pietro Valpreda's name was splashed across the media as "the monster of Piazza Fontana" and a television reporter claimed that "the guilty man has been found". For three years, he languished in jail, awaiting trial. All over Italy, there were huge pro-Valpreda demonstrations and the trial was moved to the deep south, to avoid "political interference". Valpreda published his prison diaries, entitled It Is Him - the words used by the alleged witness, taxi driver Cornelio Rolandi.
The Italian state took 16 years to conclude that Valpreda was clearly completely innocent and 32 years to find someone else guilty of the bombing. It was later found out that neofascists had carried out the bombing in the frame of the strategy of tension
Strategy of tension
The strategy of tension is a theory that describes how to divide, manipulate, and control public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, and false flag terrorist actions....
.
After his release, Valpreda continued to work as a dancer and opened a bar in Milano. He wrote three books with Piero Colaprico