Guido and Arturo, two comrades from Cuneo (Italy), were jailed for a few weeks last February following an action to block a Castor train loaded with nuclear waste in Val Susa (northern Italy). The action was carried out during the night by about forty people, mostly anarchists and some village people. Within a short time the gathering was surrounded by a large number of policemen, about 200. Despite the numerical inferiority the demonstrators felt it was necessary to act, driven by the ethical tension that they were in the right, against nuclear power and the system of death that justifies its existence. They tried to block the tracks with tyres and the police immediately charged the group on different sides. Some comrades were injured and three were detained. In the morning, Guido and Arturo, who have always been committed to the struggle against harmful substances and against this miserable existent, were remanded in custody.
Just a few days after being released, Guido took part to a demo against the opening of a site of Casa Pound, a fascist organization, in Cuneo. Violent clashes broke between the comrades from the one side and the fascists and cops from the other (February 2011). Although no one was arrested that day, police raided the houses of 20 comrades a couple of months later (May 2011), and arrested seven of them. Guido went on hiding and remained on the run until 26th November, when he gave himself up on the same day that the trial for the Cuneo clashes was due to start.
Below is the translation of an indymedia article and a report from the local press on the trial. While Guido is being held for taking part to the clashes against the fascists in Cuneo, Arturo is serving a residual sentence for disorders occurred in 1998 during the funeral of Baleno* in Brosso, near Turin.
Solidarity to Guido and Arturo!
Guido Mantelli
Casa Circondariale
Via Roncata 75
12100 Cuneo
Italy
Arturo Fazio
Carcere “Le Vallette”
Strada Pianezza 300
10151 Torino
Italy
Anarchist comrade Edoardo Massari (Baleno) was framed up and jailed with two other comrades, Maria Soledad and Silvano Pellissero, in 1998. They were all accused of belonging to a ‘clandestine organization’ and of carrying out sabotage attacks against the devastating TAV, high railway, project in Val Susa. Baleno took his life in jail, or rather he was murdered by the prison system and by the shameful and defamatory press campaign unleashed against the arrested anarchists. Maria Soledad committed suicide shortly afterwards, while she was under house arrest. Silvano spent five years in prison.
In the days following Soledad and Baleno’s death, hundreds of anarchists took to the streets and many gave vent to the anger at the comrades’ loss. It was agreed that the press would stay away from Baleno’s funeral, but when a disgusting journalist turned up at the event he was beaten up, and rightly so.
From indymedia:
Cuneo: three plea bargaining and 16 committals for trial for the clashes of Casa Pound.
At the end of the solidarity gathering outside the court, the Digos [political police] of Turin arrested Arturo Fazio for a residual two-month sentence. Arturo had been waiting for the arrival of the police for a month. After 9 years on hiding he was aware of the final sentence regarding the events in Brosso.
Therefore there was no ‘big Digos operation’: a comrade gave himself up after six moths on the run, and the other one was waiting for the cops in his house.
From the local press:
CRONACA. Saturday November 26 2011
Cuneo: three plea bargaining and 16 committals for trial for the clashes of Casa Pound.
In the morning Guido Mantelli, one of the two defendants on hiding, gave himself up, whereas Francesco Cesano is thought to be abroad for work reasons.
Three plea bargaining and 16 committals for trial. This was the decision of preliminary investigating judge Elisabetta Meinardi at the end of the preliminary hearing, held today in closed court in Cuneo, against the youngsters of antagonist and anarchist-insurrectionist groups involved in the disturbances occurred during the opening of a base of Casa Pound, a far-right organization, on 26th February in Cuneo.
Luca Bertolotto, defended by lawyer Marco Ivaldi, Dario Audisio and Domenico Garello, defended by lawyer Ezio Francia, have negotiated for 1 year and five months each. These and the other defendants stand accused of a number of crimes including resistance to police force, injuring a police officer in the exercise of his duty, injuring a youngster who had intervened to calm people down, damaging private cars parked nearby, smearing and using firecrackers and paper bombs. Of the two people on hiding, Guido Mantelli gave himself up this morning in the court, and was immediately taken to prison; the other one, Francesco Cesano is abroad for work reasons, as confirmed by his lawyer Enrico Gallo, where he had been staying even before knowing he was under investigation.
No demonstrator belonging to the far right was investigated by the prosecution, which has also examined a great deal of film footage.
Supporters of the young defendants gathered since 9am in the piazza facing the court, and didn’t create problems to the forces of order. A spokesperson read a communiqué of Guido Mantelli, with which he thanked all his co-defendants, whom ‘compliant judges shouldn’t have put on trial.’
The next hearing is due on 25th January 2012.
Source: http://325.nostate.net/?p=3602
