"Italian Letter Bombs Attributed to Anarchists Raise Questions"

Four letter bombs have been sent to various European Union
dignitaries throughout the Europe in the last week, all of them,
according to government officials, originating from the Italian city
of Bologna.

A group calling itself the Informal Anarchist Front
("F.A.I.") has claimed responsibility in a letter printed by an
Italian newspaper. Although no known Italian anarchist groups have
ever heard of this association, the acronym matches exactly that of
another above-ground, revolutionary organization in Bologna: the
Italian Anarchist Federation (F.A.I.) The F.A.I. has denounced these
attacks, and consider the Informal Anarchist Front "imaginary,"
(federazioneanarchica)
invented to justify the repression of anarchists in Bologna and
throughout Italy. This suspicion harkens back to similar incidents in the recent past, such as
1997
in Milan (http://flag.blackend.net/asr/articles/llr22-2.html) when a series of
letterbombs were used as a justification to raid squats, social centers,
and make sweeping arrests. Anti-globalization activists may also recall
the letter bomb scare in the days leading up to the 2001 G8 summit in
Genoa, Italy. In fact, the use of such a tactic by fascist forces in
Italy has been historically documented. During the 1970's, when
electoral support for communists was at an all time high, Fascists
engaged in a deadly bombing campagin they described as part of a "strategy of
tension"
(http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/freeearth/fe3_italy.html). By blaming
the bombings on the communists, the Fascists hoped to incite a breakdown
of public order to justify the imposition of military rule. The most
horrific bombing took place in Bologna in 1980, in which a bomb was
detonated at a rail station killing 85 people and injuring over 200.
Bologna was a communist stronghold at the time. The Italian Secret
Service was later implicated in the bombing and high ranking officials
in the organization were made to stand trial ten years later. Their
convictions were overturned.

One twist in the latest incidences is that the bomb addressed to
European Commissioner Romano Prodi in Bologna was wrapped in a book
(Guardian) by
Gabrielle D'Annunzio, a supporter of Fascism in the 1930's. Prodi
remarked that the choice of the author was probably meant to be ironic.

Whether ironic or not, these incidents have created considerable tension
among Italian anarchists in general, and members of the Italian
Anarchist Federation in particular. As one reader on Infoshop
(http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=03/12/30/6780314)
commented, "Imagine if the 'casual repubican party' started claiming
responsibility for bombings, how much heat would the Republicans get?"

The possibility remains, however, that such bombings have been carried
out by self-proclaimed "anarchists" that are disconnected from groups
such as the FAI, who struggle to promote autonomy, social and economic
justice in Italy. It seems questionable whether anarchists working in
communities of struggle would knowingly place their comrades in danger
for such imperceptible gains. The letter bombs in question have been
poorly made, causing no injuries even when detonating in the hands of
their recipients. The history of Fascism in Italy has demonstrated
that the "strategy of tension" is served equally well by the brash
actions of "useful idiots," whether their ideology is purported to come
from the extreme Left or the extreme Right.

The Commission for the Correspondence with the Italian Anarchist
Federation has issued a communique
(http://www.federazioneanarchica.org/archivio/20031228cdc.html) in which
they suggest that, far from promoting revolutionary consciousness,
"letterbombs are more useful for provokation and the criminalization of
dissent." The arsenal of the F.A.I., on the other hand, includes the
weapons of social organizing, local autonomy, trade unions, opposition
to state terrorism and the creation of a new and free society.

There are reports that raids of squats have already begun taking place
in Bologna, though no arrests have yet been made.

IMC Bologna

http://italy.indymedia.org/features/bologna/

Federazione Anarchia Italiana (F.A.I.)

http://www.federazioneanarchica.org

The Italian communique:

http://www.federazioneanarchica.org/archivio/20031228cdc.html