ITALIAN ANARCHIST
KILLED IN PRISON
On Wednesday, December 19, at 1pm, Carlo
Tesseri and Horst Fantazzini were arrested near a bank in Bologna, Italy and
charged with attempted aggravated robbery. Apparently, they were stopped while on
bicycles and were in possession of materials the cops found suspect.
A few hours later, the cops searched their
houses and confiscated books, flyers, stickers and other forms of anarchist
propaganda, as well as personal letters, notebooks, a computer and cash.
After 32 years in prison, Horst had
obtained partial liberty a few months earlier with his punishment scheduled to
end in 2022.
Carlo was released in July after seven
years in prison. Both are anarchist comrades who have lived lives characterized
by rebellion and the passion for anarchy, in pursuit of true freedom.
At last the media was onto the story of
Horst—rather wretchedly as usual—transforming it into a little tale of colorful
gossip and making it into a film.
The few newspapers that mentioned the
arrests described it in terms of the usual hateful and miserable script of the
“romantic anarchist” arrested during yet another attack.
Not a word on the persecution Horst had
suffered, not to mention Carlo (both were among those investigated by public
prosecutor Marini in the major investigation and subsequent trial against
seventy people for allegedly being part of an “armed gang”).
On the evening of December 24, comrades in
Italy were informed that Horst had died in the shower due to complications from
a heart attack.
The next day they learned that he had been
beaten severely by the cops as was evidence by the bruises on his body.
To anarchists in Italy who have lost
another comrade, I con only offer condolences, and to the cops who killed him,
and all other cops, my undying hatred.
[I based this text on one
written by comrades from El Paso Occupato in Italy.]
HORST,
A LIFE FOR ANARCHY
In this hour of rage and anguish at the
death of our comrade, Horst Fantazzini, many questions are still left
unanswered. They told us that Horst died of cardiac arrest. But what caused
this heart attack? Above all, who stopped his heart? His children noticed
bruises on his body. Was it a beating or the return to prison itself that
caused his death? The only thing of which we can be certain is that Horst’s death is simply another one of
the many murders perpetrated by the state against an anarchist who intended to
live without respite struggling against capital, against the prisons in which
he lived for half his life and against every form of authority. Death in prison
had already been planned for Horst, seeing that his sentence would have ended
in 2022, but they had already tried to eliminate him in the past, riddling him
with bullets during an attempted escape. On December 24, after having spent 32
years in prison, our comrade died in their hands, locked away in the state’s prison! We hold the Bolognese
prosecutors, Orso and Pescatore directly responsible, not to mention the prison
director and all the wretches who work in the prison at Dozza.
MURDERERS OF YESTERDAY
AND TODAY, WE WILL NOT FORGET YOU
Our thoughts turn to our comrade, Carlo
Tesseri now as well. He is still locked up in the prison at Dozza. He is a
long-time friend and comrade of Horst, arrested with him on December 19. Since
then, he has been denied conversation with his family. His partner has already
asked prosecutor Orso for an urgent visit and has been denied over and over
again. On the morning of December 25, she went before the vice-director of
Dozza, Cardiano, who refused to let her meet with Carlo, stating that Horst’s death was not sufficiently
serious to allow them to speak.
We consider it important to draw ourselves
close around Carlo, so that he feels our affection and solidarity.
FREEDOM FOR CARLO
FREE EVERYONE
BURN DOWN THE PRISONS
—Anarchist Black Cross (Italy),