Paolo Signorelli (14 March 1934 – 1 December 2010) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

author, activist, and politician of the

extreme right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

Early life and education

Signorelli was born in Rome on 14 March 1934. His mother was from

Ciociaria Ciociaria () is the name by which, starting from the modern era, some impoverished territories southeast of Rome were called at a popular level, without defined geographical limits. Starting from the Fascist period and the creation of the provi ...

. His father, born in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...

, had served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, getting seriously injured in the 1916 battle at Isonzo and coming home as an

invalid Invalid may refer to: * Patient, a sick person * one who is confined to home or bed because of illness, disability or injury (sometimes considered a politically incorrect term) * .invalid, a top-level Internet domain not intended for real use As t ...

. Signorelli finished high school at the ''Liceo Augusto'' in Rome and went on to graduate from the

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...

with a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. His

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was about revolutionary

syndicalism Syndicalism is a Revolutionary politics, revolutionary current within the Left-wing politics, left-wing of the Labour movement, labor movement that seeks to unionize workers Industrial unionism, according to industry and advance their demands t ...

Activism

Signorelli became politically active from a young age, already sympathetic to the cause and the veterans of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

, and started getting into brawls with leftist fellow students. As a 14-year old, he enlisted in the RGSL (''Raggruppamento giovanile studenti e lavoratori'', "Regrouping of young students and workers") of the ''

Movimento Sociale Italiano The Italian Social Movement ( it, Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national c ...

''.The RGSL was established in 1947 by the MSI. In September 1971, it merged along with ''Giovane Italia'' ("

Young Italy Young Italy ( it, La Giovine Italia) was an Italian political movement founded in 1831 by Giuseppe Mazzini. After a few months of leaving Italy, in June 1831, Mazzini wrote a letter to King Charles Albert of Sardinia, in which he asked him to uni ...

") into the ''Fronte della Gioventù'' ("

Youth Front ''Youth Front'' ( es, Frente de la Juventud, FJ) was a Spanish political youth organization and far-right militant group, sometimes considered a terrorist organization. History FJ emerged as a 1978 split of Fuerza Nueva, the main neofrancoist p ...

"). See De Troia (2001). In the year 1950, he worked for the " traditionalist" magazine ''Imperium'' that was publishing works by

Julius Evola Giulio Cesare Andrea "Julius" Evola (; 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974) was an Italian philosopher, poet, painter, esotericist, and radical-right ideologue. Evola regarded his values as aristocratic, masculine, traditionalist, heroic, and defiantly ...

,The magazine ''Imperium'' began its run in January 1950 and ended it in December of the same year after most members of the editorial board, such as Rauti, De Perini, Lucci, Chiarissi, and others were arrested, accused of being members of a new FAR (''

Fasci di Azione Rivoluzionaria The ''Fasci di Azione Rivoluzionaria'' ( en, Fasces of Revolutionary Action), abbreviated FAR, was an Italian neofascist paramilitary organization founded in 1946. FAR was the first neofascist group in Italy which led an Urban guerrilla warfare ...

'', "Fasces of Revolutionary Action"). See Marilotti (2020). "the leading philosopher of Europe's

neofascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration se ...

movement." As a student, he commanded ''Caravella'', the branch of MSI's student organization FUAN (''Fronte universitario d'azione nazionale'') inside Sapienza University. After his graduation, he started working at the De Sanctis classical high school in the capital, teaching

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. In the 1950s, he came into contact with prominent figures of the Italian extra-parliamentary right such as Clemente "Lello" Graziani, who went on to found in 1956 the "New Order Scholarship Center" (''Centro Studi Ordine Nuovo''), and of the MSI leadership such as

Giorgio Almirante Giorgio Almirante (27 June 1914 – 22 May 1988) was an Italian politician, the founder and leader of neo-fascist Italian Social Movement until his retirement in 1987. Early life Almirante was born at Salsomaggiore Terme, in Emilia Romagna, ...

Augusto De Marsanich Augusto De Marsanich (13 April 1893 – 10 February 1973) was an Italian fascist politician and the second leader of the Italian Social Movement (MSI). Early years De Marsanich was born in Rome. He enlisted in the Italian Army in 1916 and saw ac ...

, and

Arturo Michelini Arturo Michelini (17 February 1909 – 15 June 1969) was an Italian politician and secretary of the Italian Social Movement (MSI). A minor party official during the days of Italian fascism and a war veteran, Michelini emerged as one of the two ...

. In 1956, he joined in the violent confrontations in the streets of Rome between young nationalists who were protesting against the

Soviet invasion of Hungary The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

and leftist unions, such as the union of printers, who had come out in support of the "Soviet Union's intervention against the counter-revolutionaries in Budapest." In 1957, proclaiming that the party had lost "all revolutionary aspirations," Signorelli left the MSI together with

Pino Rauti Giuseppe Umberto "Pino" Rauti (19 November 1926 – 2 November 2012) was an Italian fascist and politician who was a leading figure on the radical right for many years, although Rauti was describing himself as a "leftist" and "non-fascist." Invo ...

, Clemente Graziani,

Giulio Maceratini Giulio Maceratini (13 February 1938 – 25 July 2020) was an Italian politician. References

20th-century Italian politicians 21st-century Italian politicians National Alliance (Italy) politicians Italian Social Movement politicians Politi ...

Stefano Delle Chiaie Stefano Delle Chiaie (13 September 1936, Caserta – 10 September 2019, Rome) was an Italian neo-fascist terrorist. He was the founder of ''Avanguardia Nazionale'', a member of '' Ordine Nuovo'', and founder of Lega nazionalpopolare. He went on ...

, Rutilio Sermonti, Adriano Romualdi and others who were also opposing the "moderate line" advocated by the leadership of

. In 1969, Signorelli along with others, such as Rauti, rejoined the MSI. In 1976, he was expelled from the ''Movimento'' and went on to participate in the establishment of ''Lotta di Popolo'' ("Struggle of the People"), a movement that ostensibly rejected "

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

tic ideological references" and aimed to "re-evaluate" the ideas of prominent left-wing revolutionaries such as

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

and

Ernesto Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

in the name of establishing a common front opposing "

imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

, and

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

Armed militancy

In the 1970s, the Almirante leadership of MSI was aiming at the establishment of a ''destra nazionale'' ("national Right") front. Young militants in Rome, led by secretary

Teodoro Buontempo Teodoro Buontempo (21 January 1946 – 24 April 2013) was an Italian politician. Born in Carunchio, Chieti, graduated in accounting, Buontempo started the first political experiences in Ortona, then, in 1968, he moved to Rome where he founded o ...

and deputy secretary Paolo Sgrò, expressed "impatience" with what they perceived as Almirante's "moderate choice." In 1975, Signorelli and Buontempo formed the ''Lotta Popolare'' ("Popular Struggle") faction that took hold in about fifteen MSI sections, bringing together those who, like Buontempo, wanted an initiative towards more active militancy but had no intention to break with party strategies and discipline, and those who, instead, like Signorelli, wanted a "strategic contrast" between the militant "struggle of the people" and the political "national Right".

Bologna train-station bombing

At 10:25 am

local time Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...

of 2 August 1980, a

time bomb A time bomb (or a timebomb, time-bomb) is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use (or attempted use) of time bombs has been for various purposes including insurance fraud, terrorism, assassination, sabotage and warfare. They ar ...

hidden in an unattended suitcase detonated in an air-conditioned waiting room at Bologna's train station. The final toll from the bombing was 85 people dead and over 200 wounded. On 28 August 1980, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Bologna issued arrest orders against some eighty members of the

organizations ''

Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari The Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari ( en, Armed Revolutionary Nuclei), abbreviated NAR, was an Italian terrorist neo-fascist militant organization active during the Years of Lead from 1977 to November 1981. It committed 33 murders in four years, an ...

'', ''

Terza Posizione Terza Posizione ( en, Third Position) was a short-lived neo-fascist political movement founded in Rome in 1978. The group published a journal, also called ''Terza Posizione'' which promoted Third Position The Third Position is a set of neo-fa ...

'', and ''Movimento Rivoluzionario Popolare'', among whom was also Paolo Signorelli, accusing them of conspiracy to commit crimes,

subversion Subversion () refers to a process by which the values and principles of a system in place are contradicted or reversed in an attempt to transform the established social order and its structures of power, authority, hierarchy, and social norms. Sub ...

, and other activities related to the bombing. Renewed investigations resulted in criminal charges, including

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

, being brought against prominent figures of the Italian far-right, such as Massimiliano Fachini, the Fioravanti brothers,

Francesco Pazienza Francesco Pazienza (born in 1946, Monteparano) is an Italian businessman, and former officer of the Italian military intelligence agency, SISMI. As of April 2007, he has been paroled to the community of Lerici, after serving many years in prison, i ...

Licio Gelli Licio Gelli (; April 21, 1919 – December 15, 2015) was an Italian financier. A Fascist volunteer in his youth, he is chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable Master of the ...

Francesca Mambro Francesca Mambro (born 25 April 1959) is an Italian activist and former terrorist, who was a leading member of the far-right Italian Armed Revolutionary Nuclei (NAR). She was arrested in Rome in March 1982 for complicity in the Bologna bombing o ...

, and Paolo Signorelli. The first trial began in Bologna on 9 March 1987. On 11 July 1988, four defendants were sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

for murder, others were convicted with lesser sentences for forming an armed gang and subversion, while Signorelli and others were acquitted. Appeals were submitted by both the defendants and the prosecution, so a new trial began in October 1989. More defendants were acquitted, including Signorelli again. After further prosecutorial appeal, on 12 February 1992, the

Supreme Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...

acquitted Signorelli of murder, once more. The Court also acquitted other defendants, and went on to cancel the previous trial's judgment '' in toto'', ordering a new one on account of the sentences having been "illogical, incoherent, ndnot assessing proofs and evidence in good faith."

D'Amato assassination

On 23 June 1980,

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

Mario Amato Mario Amato (24 November 1937, in Palermo – 23 June 1980, in Rome) was an Italian magistrate, assassinated in 1980 by NAR (''Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari'') members and .NAR members. Arrests were issued for various persons, including Signorelli. In the 1986 trial, while

Giusva Fioravanti Giuseppe Valerio "Giusva" Fioravanti (born 28 March 1958) is an Italian former terrorist and actor, journalist and human rights activist, who, with Francesca Mambro, was a leading figure in a Far-right politics, far-right terrorism, terrorist gro ...

, and Gilberto Cavallini were convicted for murder and sentenced to

, Signorelli was acquitted.

Incarceration

After his initial arrest, Signorelli remained incarcerated. He was eventually allowed to return to his home in 1987 under a regime of

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

after the agitation mostly of Radical Party MP Laura Arconti,Arconti has been described as a "passionate" advocate for the Radical Party's principles and a "defender of

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

" irrespective of ideology. See Cianfanelli (2019). who went on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

in order to publicize Signorelli's situation. The decision to allow Signorelli to return home was taken by

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

MP and

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

Giuliano Vassalli Giuliano Vassalli (25 April 1915 – 21 October 2009) was an Italian politician, lecturer and lawyer. Life He was born in Perugia, son of Filippo Vassalli, a famous lecturer and lawyer. During World War II Vassalli was imprisoned by Nazi forces ...

. He regained full freedom of movement after almost ten years.

Ideology

Signorelli himself refused the characterization of his ideological stance as "neofascist". At one point, during the discussions inside the far right, Signorelli stated his doubts about armed militancy: "Yes, we talk about onqueringground but structures of urmovement are created: we tend towards action, yet this soon degenerates from a political struggle into the practice of armed onfrontation often an end in itself." In 1996, Signorelli published a book titled ''Defendant by profession'' (''Di professione imputato'') in which he related his time in prison and presented some political observations.

Personal life

Signorelli met his future wife Claudia while studying at the university. They were married in 1959 and had two children, son Luca and daughter Silvia. According to their grandson, also named Paolo, Signorelli was a fan of

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

football club

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. Paolo's older brother,

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

Ferdinando "Nando" Signorelli, who was elected in the 1980s in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

with the MSI and served in the Senate's permanent committee on health and sanity, died on 14 May 2022, at the age of 94, in

's Nuova Santa Teresa

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

Death and legacy

Signorelli died in Rome on 1 December 2010 from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. In 2015,

freelance journalist ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

Raffaella Fanelli conducted an interview with

Vincenzo Vinciguerra Vincenzo Vinciguerra (born 3 January 1949) is an Italian neo-fascist activist, a former member of the ''Avanguardia Nazionale'' ("National Vanguard") and '' Ordine Nuovo'' ("New Order"). He is currently serving a life-sentence for the murder of thr ...

, the neofascist militant serving a life sentence for the 1972 bomb attack in Peteano that resulted in the killing of three ''

carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

''. Vinciguerra, relating the events around the years of armed militancy, mentioned Paolo Signorelli as having been "at the top" of the "fascist groups" of that period. The interview was published in ''

La Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnoldo ...

'' the same year and Signorelli's daughter, Silvia, sued the journalist for defaming the reputation of a deceased person, namely her father. In February 2018, the Court of Milan that had been assigned the preliminary investigation of the case terminated the proceedings against the journalist. The Court accepted that Signorelli had been member of "an armed gang" and held a "major position" in a "subversive association," and thus decided that the suit had no merit, since "there could be no falsehoods in Vinciguerra's statements." In October 2019, an inspector of the Roman police station in via San Vitale, by order of the

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

prosecutor, as he stated, phoned Signorelli's 85-year old widow Claudia and asked her to come to the station because she was a "

person of interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

" concerning the Bologna bombing.