Acca Larentia killings
The Acca Larentia killings, also known in Italy as the Acca Larentia massacre (Italian: strage di Acca Larenzia), were a double homicide that occurred in Rome on 7 January 1978. The attack was claimed by the self-described Nuclei Armati per il Contropotere Territoriale (Armed Nuclei for Territorial Counterpower). Members of militant far-left groups were charged but acquitted, and the culprits were never identified.
Franco Bigonzetti | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 March 1958 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 7 January 1978 (aged 19) Rome, Italy |
| Cause of death | Ballistic trauma |
| Occupation | Italian Social Movement (MSI) member |
| Known for | Victim of unsolved murder |
Francesco Ciavatta | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 September 1959 Montagano, Italy |
| Died | 7 January 1978 (aged 18) Rome, Italy |
| Cause of death | Ballistic trauma |
| Occupation | MSI member |
| Known for | Victim of unsolved murder |
Five teenagers of the Youth Front, the youth wing of the Italian Social Movement, a far-right and neo-fascist party, were ambushed while leaving the local party headquarters, and two of the teens (aged 18 and 19) were killed. The killings caused riots that same day, in which another MSI sympathiser was killed in clashes with police. Commemorations for the Acca Larentia killings take place each year and are controversial. As of 2024, opposition parties said such displays of pro-fascist sentiment was outlawed and demanded an investigation.