Gabriele Moreno Locatelli (1959 in

Canzo Canzo (; lmo, Canz , locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Italian province of Como. It is the last town north of the historical Brianza region of Lombardy, capital of the Lake Como Triangle community and a regional tourism destin ...

– October 3, 1993 in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

) was an Italian

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

. He was killed by a Serbian sniper during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

Biography

He was described as a sensitive and generous young man. He was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He engaged very fast in diverse actions to help the most discriminated in Italy. He was a student in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. A selection of his poetry and papers are included in the ''La mia strada'' book.

Death

Locatelli had joined the ''Beati i Costruttori di Pace'' ''(Blessed are the Peacemakers)'', a Catholic aid organization. The organization was there to deliver mail, assist the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

military in delivering food and clothing, and bring water and assistance to elderly and sick civilians in Sarajevo during the

siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...

. Locatelli was shot and killed by a

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

while crossing the

Vrbanja bridge Suada and Olga Bridge ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Most Suade i Olge'' / Мост Суаде и Олге), also known by its old name Vrbanja Bridge (''Vrbanja most'' / Врбања мост) is a bridge across the Miljacka river in Saraje ...

with four other peace activists and a peace flag in his hands.

International response

The international community was outraged by the killing. The day after his death, the Sarajevo daily Oslobodenje was prudently titled "Incident at Vrbanja," while the Italian newspapers headlines included "Pacifist Italian killed by Serb snipers." In Sarajevo, he is honored as a hero, an Italian martyr among many Bosnians. There were controversies about the way the Italian press covered the incident. Locatelli's story inspired director Giancarlo Bocchi for the documentary "Death of a Pacifist" (1995). The song "Bread and Peace" is also based on Locatelli's death.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Locatelli, Gabriele Moreno 1959 births 1993 deaths Italian pacifists

Biography

Death

International response

See also

References

External links