Fasci Siciliani
The Fasci Siciliani , short for Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori (Sicilian Workers Leagues), were a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration, which arose in Sicily in the years between 1889 and 1894. The Fasci gained the support o ...
(Sicilian Leagues) a popular movement of democratic and
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
inspiration from 1891 to 1894.
Life
Nicola was born on 13 November 1861 in
Randazzo
Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta.
Randazzo ( scn, Rannazzu) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, c. northwest of Catania. It is the nearest to ...
, Italy. Together with the anarchist Giovanni Noè, he set up the first ''Fascio dei Lavoratori'' in
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
on 18 March 1889, but the organisation remained dormant after the arrest of Petrina in July of that year. He was not released until 1892 when many more Fasci had been set up in Sicily. Another reason why the ''Fascio'' of Messina – formed after the example of the ''
Fasci operai
Fascio (; plural ''fasci'') is an Italian word literally meaning "a bundle" or "a sheaf", and figuratively "league", and which was used in the late 19th century to refer to political groups of many different (and sometimes opposing) orientations ...
'' orkers leaguesconstituted in Central and North Italy from 1871 – initially did not develop was that it brought together not individual workers but the workers' associations of the city, which retained their independence, their status and economic orientation.Scolaro, ''Il movimento antimafia siciliano'', p.18
Petrina was among the 500 delegates from nearly 90 leagues and socialist circles at the Congress of the Fasci that was held in
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
on 21–22 May 1893. A Central Committee was elected, composed of nine members: Petrina was elected for the province of Messina.Il «battesimo» del socialismo La Sicilia, 24 May 2009 The Congress decided that all Leagues were obliged to join the Party of Italian Workers (''
Partito dei Lavoratori Italiani
The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country.
Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...
'', the initial name of the
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country.
Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...
).
In July 1893, he was elected in the municipal council of Messina, where he immediately discovered serious abuses that had been committed in the City Hall for years. Rossi, L'agitazione in Sicilia '
Following the repression of the Fasci Siciliani by the government of
Francesco Crispi
Francesco Crispi (4 October 1818 – 11 August 1901) was an Italian patriot and statesman. He was among the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a close friend and supporter of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, and one of the architect ...
Rosario Garibaldi Bosco
Rosario Garibaldi Bosco (Palermo, July 28, 1866 – Turin, December 2, 1936) was an Italian Republican-inspired socialist, politician and writer from Sicily. He was one of the leaders of the ''Fasci Siciliani'' (Sicilian Leagues), a popular movem ...
,
Nicola Barbato
Nicola Barbato (Piana dei Greci, October 5, 1856 – Milan, May 23, 1923) was a Sicilian medical doctor, socialist and politician. He was one of the national leaders of the Fasci Siciliani (Sicilian Leagues) a popular movement of democratic and ...
and
Bernardino Verro
Bernardino Verro (; July 3, 1866 – November 3, 1915) was a Sicilian syndicalist and politician. He was involved in the Fasci Siciliani (Sicilian Leagues) a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration in 1891-1894, and became the firs ...
to 12 years in jail. Petrina was sentenced to three years,Sicilian Rioters Sentenced The New York Times, 31 May 1894 on trumped up charges and his contact with the anarchist