Prospero Gallinari
Prospero Gallinari | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1951 Reggio nell'Emilia |
| Died | 14 January 2013 (aged 62) Reggio nell'Emilia |
| Criminal status | Semi-liberty regime |
| Criminal penalty | Life-long prison |
Prospero Gallinari (1 January 1951 – 14 January 2013[1]), also known as Gallo, was an Italian terrorist, a member of the Red Brigades in the 1970s and 1980s.[2]
Biography
Gallinari was born at Reggio Emilia into a family of Communist tradition. At a very young age, he entered the Federazione Giovanile Comunista Italiana, in which he remained until the late 1960s. He emigrated to Milan, leaving his hometown.[3]
Militant activities
In 1969, together with Alberto Franceschini and other former Communists militants, Gallinari decided to adhere to armed terrorism.[4] After a short period as a member of the Superclan (a mostly unknown organization formed by Corrado Simioni which was later accused to be the political masterming of the Red Brigades, or BR, during Mario Moretti's leadership), he became a member of the Red Brigades, initially as an external collaborator, then as a full clandestine member (1973-1974).
In 1974 he took part in the kidnapping of judge Mario Sossi, but after a while he was arrested in Turin, together with Alfred Bonavita. In 1976 he escaped from the prison of Treviso. He thenceforth belonged to the Roman "column" of the BR, and had a relevant role in the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, a Christian Democratic former prime minister of Italy (March 1978).[4] Gallinari was one of the killers who ambushed the politician's escort in Via Fani in Rome, assassinating three guardsmen in an Alfetta car. After Moro's kidnapping, Gallinari became a member of the executive committee of the BR.[2] Moro was subsequently killed in obscure circumstances in the following May.
Arrest
Gallinari was arrested on 24 September 1979 while changing number plates on cars which would be used in a Red Brigade action. He was shot twice by the Italian police before he was arrested and underwent five hours emergency operation.[5] Initially, he was convicted of killing Moro. However, later it was found that not Gallinari but Maccari who killed Moro.[6] According to the official trial reconstructions, Gallinari stayed in the BR's base where Moro was detained for 55 days, along with Moretti, Anna Laura Braghetti and Germano Maccari.[7] During his detainment, Gallinari was one of the few BR terrorists who did not collaborate with the Italian justice. Instead, he continued to have contacts with the organization's free members and indirectly participated to their political debates.
Semi-liberty regime
In October 1988, after the great part of the terrorist formation had been arrested, he co-signed a document in which he declared the end of the BR activities.[8] Due to health concerns (connected to the wounds he received during his arrest in 1979), Gallinari obtained a semi-liberty regime.[9] In March 2006 he published an autobiographical book (entitled Un contadino nella Metropoli, "A countryman in the Metropolis"), providing his own version about the Red Brigades deeds.
References
- ^ Muore a Reggio Emilia l'ex Br Prospero Gallinari, Corriere della Sera, 14 gennaio 2013
- ^ a b Sue Ellen Moran, Rand Corporation (1 November 1987). Inside a Terrorist Group: The Red Brigades of Italy. DIANE Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-941375-08-5. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ Luciano Cheles; Lucio Sponza (2001). The Art of Persuasion: Political Communication in Italy from 1945 to 1990s. Manchester University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-7190-4170-9. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ a b Sabrin Turco, Review of Un contadino nella metropoli at Rai News 24 website Template:It icon
- ^ "Brigades "father" shot". Ottowa Citizen. Rome. UPI. 25 September 1979. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ Pierpaolo Antonello; Alan O'Leary (30 September 2009). Imagining Terrorism: The Rhetoric and Representation of Political Violence in Italy 1969-2009. MHRA. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-906540-48-7. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ Gallinari was accused of having been Moro's jailer by the BR pentito Antonio Savasta
- ^ Interview with Prospero Gallinari, 2007
- ^ Short biography at Avvenimenti Italiani page Template:It icon
Sources
- Gallinari, Prospero (2006). Un contadino nella metropoli. Milan: Bompiani.