Go on, start !
March ! March !
You'll pay dearly for it ! You'll pay at all costs !
THE FRONT LINE
MILAN, JANUARY 1 5th 1 983
See you at the raílway yard ín an hour.
Stop ! Carabinieri,
You're lucky we got you,
lf Special Branch had caught you, you'd be dead by now,
TURIN, ''LE NUOVE'' PRISON, NOVEMBER 1 989
l was born in 1 955 near Milan: in Sesto San Giovanni, a factory town,
lt was nicknamed the Italian Stalingrad,
ln 1 968, when everything got underway,
l wasn't even 1 5,
l didn't really understand what was going on,
but l sensed that l wanted to be part of it,
With the guys outside the factories, in the streets who yelled
''You don't change the bourgeois State, you bring it down !''
A year later in 1 969,
someone decided it was time to stop the sit-ins,
strikes and demonstrations,
A bomb was planted in a Milan bank,
MILAN, DECEMBER 12th 1 969
1 6 dead, 88 injured,
Those of us who understood, the eldest,
immediately accused right-wingers,
But they'd been armed by the State:
a dirty business, Secret Service stuff,
l grew up thinking there'd be a coup in Italy,
like in Greece or Chile, and that they'd have massacred us,
MILAN, MAY 1 7th 1 973
Actually, they'd already started to,
With the fascist bombs on trains,
lTALICUS TRAIN, AUGUST 4th 1 914
with the Piazza della Loggia maSSaCfe,
BRESCIA, MAY 28th 1 914
Our constítutíon, as you know, forbíds the reorganízíng,
ín any form whatsoever,
of the fascíst party.
Yet the Movímento Socíale Italíano
flouríshes.
In Mílan...
- A bomb. - Help !
Comrades and fríends, keep stíll t
Keep calm !
Keep to the míddle of the square.
At the end of the '70s, when they told us to react,
that we had to fight back,
many people thought it was a metaphor,
But for some, it wasn't just a figure of speech,
lt meant getting organized,
passing from words to action,
Or as they used to say back then:
''from the strength of reason, to the reasons of strength,''
l was with them,
l was one of the stewards in the front line at demonstrations,
ln the mid-seventies,
l was one of the co-founders of the armed Prima Linea group,
We chose that name in order to be the movement's most advanced branch,
a popular army for the future,
Prima Linea did some crazy things,
but we weren't crazy,
Today,
while they're celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall
while history is erasing what's left of Communism,
l realize we belonged to another time,
We'd mistaken dusk for dawn,
we thought we were the new Partisans,
We felt like freedom-fighting guerrillas in the Third World,
But we weren't in the Third World,
We were convinced we were right,
but we were wrong,
But back then,,,
we didn't know it,
Well ?
Are you going to tell us something or not ?
l'm a political prisoner, militant revolutionary, that's all,
No, first of all you're a murderer,
l'm a political prisoner, militant revolutionary,
Put my request to be transferred to Florence in the statement,
l'll decide what goes in the statement: that won't,
You're not worth shit anymore,
A trial was in progress in Florence,
My comrades were there, so was Susanna:
my whole life,
Or at least what was left of it,
l left Prima Linea in 1 980,
Soon after, Susanna was arrested,
From that moment on, through all the following months,
all l thought about was freeing her,
l managed to put a group together in December,
We decided to go that Sunday,
The first Sunday of January 1 982,
JANUARY 3rd 1 982
VENICE, 7:OO a,m,
- Diego, - Yeah, l'm awake,
l had a nightmare: we got there and the army was waiting for us,
Yeah, right,
- Massimo, - Another five minutes,
How the hell can he sleep like that ?
He's young: not old like you and me,
- Wake up, - How about some coffee ?
Will you serve it to me in bed ?
Are you sure he should be coming along ?
He's a good driver,
- Yeah, of peddle-cars, - Come on,
- Who wants some ? - Me,
It appears they were goíng to carry out attacks
agaínst the head offíces of Amerícan newspapers.
lf so, the traíl could lead to the kídnappers of General Dozíer,
seízed ín Verona 20 days ago.
ln Verona, hundreds of políce offícers and carabíníerí.. .
You think there could be roadblocks because of Dozier ?
Maybe not, they don't know where to look for him,
l saw some comrades from the collective in Milan,
All young guys, Some of them asked about you,
- Why ? - Some of them would like,,,
What ?
To be here with us now,
- Did you say something ? - No, just,,,
- Did you say something or not ? - No, for fuck's sake,
l'm just saying plenty of guys want to join the organization,
The organization's defunct,
The organizations are dead and gone,
Even the ones that think they're still active,
What are we then ?
We left Prima Linea,
l know, but what are we now ? On this lousy Sunday ?
We're here to free our comrades,
That's all, okay ?
ROVIGO PRISON, 7:30 a,m,
Did anyone get any sleep last night ?
l tried to, but she was tossing and turning all night,
- Have you calmed down ? - No, not one bit,
Coffee's ready, what are you doing up there ?
Checking the guardian angels, it was freezing last night,
Don't keep looking at the time, or it'll never pass,
But it's really stressful, Iet's do something,
Yes, you're right, Let's get organized, it's Sunday,
- What do you do on Sundays ? - Stay in bed and do nothing,
- Make a dessert, - Go to Mass,
- Did you used to go ? - For years,
What about you ?
No, but l like churches,
The most beautiful ones are in Venice,
The trouble with churches is that they have priests inside,
We had a great looking priest in my village,
l had a crush on him,
- Really ? - Really,
Did you expect him to run off with you ?
More or less,
- What happened in the end ? - Nothing,
Come in here,
This is Rovigo,
There could be roadblocks here and here,
l'd been working on the plan for almost a year,
l'd been to the place plenty of times:
l knew where the prison was, how to get there;
what the traffic on adjacent roads was like;
what time the shops opened and closed;
the one way systems, the no thoroughfares,
l knew the guard changes by heart,
the manoeuvres on the boundary wall,
l knew what time the governor came and went,
l'd checked up on the carabinieri patrols
that went past the prison three or four times a day,
Okay, that covers it,
Rovigo isn't a big city, the prison wasn't maximum security,
Covering fire should have been enough
to make the guards dive for safety,
No need for fatalities,
We worked out everything, reduced risks to a minimum,
Come on, move it !
Quickly !
l don't understand you militants, but l'm pissed off about this,
- What do you mean ? - You know, Don't you trust me ?
- No, it's not that at all, - l want to go too, Take me,
- No, - l'll go mad in here,
This isn't for you, Rita,
Why should l do five years for minor robbery ?
- l've got two kids, take me, - No,
- Why not ? - Listen to me,
l'm not leaving here and neither are the others,
lf you keep your nose clean, you'll be out in two years,
lf you come with us and it goes wrong, you'll get life,
What'll l do in here without you ? Tell me !
l'll visit you when you get out,
- Sure, Who knows where you'll be, - l promise,
Then l can see your kids,
You two, get dressed,
Tell the others they're not to go out today,
Tell them to make up an excuse, like it's too cold,
Tell them we've got to teach that guard a lesson
and that we need to be alone so no one else gets blamed,
Come on,
''Lotta Continua'', gents, Here it is,
Stop reading ''L'Unità'',
A flyer ?
- May l ? Thanks, - It's cold for everyone,
Cheers,
- How much longer ? - l've finished,
A STRIKE-BREAKER LIVES HERE
Come on, that's fine, Move it,
Come on, get in,
- Which car is his ? - The Fiat 127,
Wait,
- l brought this, Wait, - Sergio, for fuck's sake,
He'll get the message from the graffiti !
- Start the engine, - Asshole !
Fucking hell !
What the hell !
- Shit, get in, - Wait,
- Move it, - You're a dickhead,
As soon as she got off the traín all of the víllage could see
That our Míss Pínk Líps sure wasn't a míssíonary
Some make Iove for fun, some choose ít as a professíon
Pínk Líps was somethíng else, she díd ít out of passíon
Look what l've got,
- Who gave it to you ? - It's from wartime,
People who were up in the mountains,
l don't want to use it, but l've got it anyway:
when the time comes to stop talking and take action,,,
- l'll be ready, - l don't like this at all,
lf someone's got a gun, they use it,
l don't think using guns helps anyone,
God, you're boring ! l was kidding !
lt's a piece of junk, it wouldn't fire if you kicked it,
- Start the engine, - Sure, start the engine,
You know what ? It's simple,
- You're a prick, - And you're boring,
- Yes, but you're a prick, - And you're boring,
My comrades on that crazy Sunday had been approached one by one:
l'd known them for ages,
We were friends, we were like brothers,
They'd all told me Venice was bad news,
lf things got dangerous, it'd be difficult to escape,
But it was the city where Susanna was born,
where she discovered what side she was on,
Where she'd liked to have lived if her life had been different,
l'd seen her a few times during secret meetings
but we'd never even had chance to introduce ourselves,
Then, one February afternoon,
l went to pick her up at Milan station,
She lived in Naples: she was in charge of Prima Linea there,
She only came to Milan for important meetings,
She always left too soon,
- How was the trip ? - Fine,
There's no point discussing it anymore,
Those militant factory workers are on the ball,
There's no doubt about the department head's fascism,
Wasting time's pointless, we'll shoot him in the legs tomorrow,
- Listen to the declaration, - Read out the flyer,
''ltalian capitalism continues its attack on the working class,
lt closes ranks, updates machinery
and dumps international market dictates onto the proletariat
until big companies regain their place in the imperialist hierarchy,
The antagonism between working class and capitalist needs
automatically renders the workers' struggle subversive,
Therefore we've decided to injure a capitalist flunkey:
the department head,
responsible for the repression of militant factory workers,''
Shit,
lt's pointless, l've already missed the train,
Look, we'll make it,
l didn't think you'd give in that easily,
Right, but l usually drive, you go too slow,
- l go slow so l won't be noticed, - Very wise,
There's no point in rushing,
Can l stay at your place ?
- Yeah, sure, - Just for the night,
As long as you want: tomorrow, the day after,
The house is at your disposal,
lf we manage to get out of this street, that is,
lt's nothing special, l haven't fixed it up,
What about these ?
They're flowers,
Got a woman in the house ?
Why ? Can only women have flowers in the house ?
- Yes, only women, - No,
Diego and Giulia were here yesterday, she brought them,
See ?
This way,
A family with kids lived here before me,
lt's nice here,
The mess is welcoming,
What's the view like ?
All you can see is the opposite wall of the yard,
You should sleep in here then, it's no way to treat a guest,
What were you before ? A schoolteacher ?
Did you rap kids' knuckles when they made mistakes ?
l was a student,
Anyway,,,
l wanted to ask you to stay here a couple of times,
- Instead of running back to Naples, - Why didn't you ?
Because,
l couldn't find a decent excuse,
l found one, The last train for Naples leaves in half an hour,
lt's obvious you've studied,
you've always got an answer: it's not normal,
''Normal'' is a dirty word,
When we win the revolution, we'll ban it,
Can you be quiet for two seconds ?
Why ?
l can only stay a couple of days,
l'm going to Veneto tomorrow,
We're going to hold up a gunshop,
The owner's a bastard, rolling in money,
- Have you got to,,, ? - No,
We won't do anything to him, we're just stockpiling,
l'll come too,
Okay,
Hands up !
Go !
When l joined the underground and left home,
l hugged my mom,,,
,, and l suddenly burst into tears,
She couldn't figure it out,
l'd told her l was going on vacation,
She got worried,
l wasn't able to say anything,
l just broke away and ran off like a thief,
When l dream at night, l see myself dead or in jail,
We never win in my dreams,
- So why carry on ? - Everything's wrong, upside down,
Someone's got to try to change things,
l'd better go, the train leaves in five minutes,
Apart from meetings, will we see each other again, or,,,
l don't know, what do you think ?
l don't know,
CHlOGGIA, 9:OO a,m,
- Lucio ? - Inside,
Can we trust the shock absorbers ?
What if the car acts up and it all goes boom ?
- Don't worry, - Just as long as l'm not driving it,
- How much explosive is in there ? - Twenty kilos,
Let's go,
Twenty kilos of explosive is a huge, excessive amount,
But l wanted to be sure, l didn't have another chance,
SOTTOMARINA, 1 O:OO a,m,
l transferred to Naples in 1 978,
l helped Susanna with the underground work,
We tried to make contact with politicized factions
in the Alfa Romeo and Italsider workforces,
We lived in a small apartment above the Spanish quarter,
l bought some ties and two gold wedding rings,
We kept regular hours,
But that day we were tense,
We were going to attack a factory manager,
We meet at last ! You've been here two months, we never met,
- Blame it on our jobs, - You're telling me,
- l'm Cristina, - l'm Laura, He's my husband,
- l'm Claudio, - How do you do,
This is Patrizio, but he can't talk yet,
- l'll give you a hand, - Thanks,
You're absolutely right, We all work too much,
lf my mother didn't babysit, l'd go nuts,
And all for a pittance from the council,
- What do you do ? - Computer programmer,
- l work for an import-export firm, - l never hear you,
l'm sorry my kids make so much noise,
That's what kids are like,
You're just saying that because you don't have any,
We will sooner or later,
l forgot the baby formula,
- Can you hold him a second ? - Of course,
This action is being carried out by Prima Linea,
in the name of all those you helped to make homeless,
This time we'll spare your life,
POLESINE, 1 O:30 a,m,
Verona-Rovígo to D-Saíls, over.
Go ahead.
We're movíng síx kílometers further south.
We're two uníts, we're goíng towards the ríver.
We receíved a request for assístance at Cavanella D'Adíge.
Roger.
They're coming to meet us,
- Where's Cavanella D'Adige ? - Nearby,
We can take the parallel road,
Take the next right,
Okay,
We're ín Vía Stresa, ín a resídentíaI area of Rome.
lt's 9:50 a.m.
We've just arríved at the spot where the attack took place.
Here's the car wíth the bodíes...
the bodíes of the offícers who acted as bodyguards
ROME, MARCH 1 6th 1 918
to the Honourable Mr. Moro.
Under the tarpaulín, there are two men ín the fírst car
and another body ín the one that was followíng ít.
Yes ?
- Mom, - Susanna, sweetheart.
l wanted to talk to you,
I've got nothíng to do wíth the stuff ín the papers.
This Moro thing,,,
is nothing to do with us, okay ? We're not behind it,
Where are you ? When wíll l be able to see you ?
- I míss you. - l miss you too,
l can't talk now, l have to go,
Waít, don't hang up.
l have to go,
- When wíll you call me agaín ? - l don't know, when l can,
I'm not very well.
I want to see you, hug you.
- Mom, please, - J'm scared J won't see you agaín.
I dídn't bríng you up and teach you to do thís.
l dídn't spend my lífe bríngíng up a daughter to do what you're doíng.
Bye mom, say hi to my brothers,
ln May we criticized the Red Brigades for killing Aldo Moro,
But then, in October,
we decided to carry out a political assassination ourselves,
Our first killing took place on October 1 1th, 1 978,
The next on November 7th, then January 1 9th, 1 979,
l wasn't part of any of the groups who carried out the operations,
maybe because an even worse act was in store for me,
The killing that horrified and stunned the public most,
Even the militant workers who'd always supported us,
- Bye, dad, - Bye,
He leaves home at 8:1 5 to take his son to school,
Via Colletta, Then he takes this route,
There are two sets of traffic lights in Via Umbria,
lf the first one's green, the next one is always red,
So he'll definitely stop either here or here,
The red light never lasts more than 1 5 seconds,
We'll throw a smoke bomb for cover,
Questions ? Doubts ?
Plenty of doubts,
He's a good magistrate: he found out the fascists
planted that bomb in Piazza Fontana, not the anarchists,
Yes, but he's after us now, not the fascists,
Alessandrini's too good,
He's coordinating the investigation, he's onto us, he's dangerous,
He helps magistrates exchange information
and if he becomes anti-terrorist chief, he'll have bodyguards,
We have to do it right away,
Our rank and file's stance is contradictory,
Many in favour, many against,
The decision has to be taken unanimously,
lf we go ahead with it, it'll be in a week's time,
l wish you hadn't come back to Milan,
- l'd be less worried, - Yes, but l wouldn't be,
l need to go home before doing this thing,
Want me to come with you ?
No, l'll go alone,
Here's the bus,
Teresa,,,
bring me a cloth, these bottles are filthy,
- Clean them now and again, - They're outside,
Exactly,
Where's the bottle opener ?
Hi, dad,
l knew you'd come back one of these days, l told Pina,
Hi, mom,
What are you doing out there ? Come in,
We're having meat and roast potatoes,
- You like that, don't you ? - Yes, of course,
- How are you both ? - As you find us,
You've lost weight, stay here a few days,
No, just tonight,
How are things at the factory ?
Same as usual, hard work,
Luckily l'll be retiring soon,
then at least l won't end up like Valenti,
A couple of months ago he lost a hand in the press,
Your ex, Luciana, is getting married,
- Really ? Who to ? - You'll never guess,
Alfonso,
The prettiest girls always choose
the dumbest guys,
Wine ?
Sergio, listen,
l don't want to poke my nose into your business,,,
But everyone speaks badly about your group at work,
They don't like what you're doing,
- And look, l don't,,, - Tomorrow, dad,
Let's have some peace tonight,
You can get it all off your chest at breakfast,
Piero often comes looking for you,
He doesn't believe that we don't know where you are,
He says we must tell you that he needs to talk to you,
Okay, tell him you told me,
- It's good, - Good,
Sorry, we're closed,
What's up, don't you recognize me ?
l didn't expect you,,,
You just show up and startle me !
- Is it you or are you a ghost ? - A ghost,
- When was this ? - March,
- Is this where they charged at us ? - No, this was at the start,
lt was peaceful, They charged at us when we got to Via Larga,
- Good times, - Right,
lt was great when we used to debate things,
argue, tell each other to fuck off and then go get drunk,
Then we'd be picketing the factory gates at six in the morning,
Don't you miss those days ?
Wasn't it better back then ?
l remember when you, Giuliana and Rico made those placards
that said between '46 and '68 the police had caused 1 71 deaths,
171 !
Workers, labourers, ordinary folk who just wanted fair pay and rights,
But you could count police and carabinieri deaths on one hand,
Just reading those numbers got us all angry,
Who'd have thought that one day
you'd get it into your head to redress the balance ?
How much has the total for police and bosses grown now ?
lt just used to be those Red Brigade dickheads killing them,
but now you guys have started too,
When there's a war, there are always deaths,
- Not only one side, - What war ? Who declared it ?
Why do you think there's an army of the exploited backing you up ?
There's no one behind you,
You're the front line of nothing,
You're being cut off because people can't figure you out,
Even people who supported you in Sesto
are talking about you as if you're nutcases,
ls it true you're going to be a dad ?
Yes, in spring, Alberta's sure it's going to be a girl,
- Have you chosen a name ? - Alessandra, Don't sidetrack me,
What do you want, Piero ?
You wanted to let off steam ? You did, l listened,
l don't have to answer you,
l just dropped by for a drink,
- It's late, l have to go, - No, wait,
At least tell me something,
Have you done it ? Have you killed anyone ?
lf you haven't, there's still time,
You can run away, just like we used to
when the fascists wanted to kick our heads in,
lf you've not done it, keep driving, don't go back,
Tomorrow you'll be in Switzerland,
lf you've got a girlfriend, l'll tell her you've come to your senses,
l'll tell her you're waiting for her in a café in Geneva,
Then she can join you and you can go off together,
- Like in the movies, - Sure,
But movies with happy endings,
Say you'll think about it,
l'll think about it,
- l'll take this, - Really think about it, huh ?
Don't be an asshole, don't piss me about,
What gift would Alessandra like when she's born ?
A nice postcard from Papua signed ''Uncle Sergio'',
MILAN, JANUARY 29th 1 979
A sílent crowd has gathered
by the sídes of the street
along whích the funeral processíon passed.
A shocked crowd, a bewíldered crowd.
A crowd that cannot understand why.
Cannot comprehend.. .
how someone could have unleashed.. .
such hatred, brutalíty and víolence.
The Presídent of the Republíc has just arríved
and pays hís respects to the deceased.
lt's only been fíve days sínce the Presídent
was ín Genoa for another sad event:
the funeraI of uníon man Guído Rossa.
As you can see, the people of Mílan
are sílent,
devastated.
To allow maxímum attendance at the funeral,
the Mílanese uníons, the CGIL, CISL and UIL
called a stríke from 9 untíI after Iunch.
Duríng the funeral servíce, by order of the traders' assocíatíon,
all shops had theír shutters down as a sígn of respect.
The schools are closed too, except for prímary and nursery schools.
The coffín ís now beíng carríed ínto the Duomo.
As you have seen, the square ís packed.
Usually, crowds are very vocal.
Today, however, a shockíng sílence weíghs heavíly on the crowd.
Shit,
Don't slow down, keep calm, Keep going,
Anymore cars besides us and the others ?
No, just us,
Don't worry, they won't stop us,
They're checking that truck,
- They stopped Lucio, - Shit,
- Good morning, - Good morning,
Your tax disc and insurance should be visible by law,
Why, aren't they ?
- When did you last wash it ? - That's what my dad says !
- Sorry, sergeant, - l'm not a sergeant, If only !
- Do you want to see my ID ? - No, you can go,
- We've got other things do to, - Yes, sir,
- l expected you to kiss him, - Yeah, but it worked !
You offered to show him your ID ?
- What are they laughing about ? - Let's go,
ROVIGO PRISON, 12:OO p,m,
- Not eating ? - No, my stomach's blocked,
And you, Marina ?
l'm not hungry either, but maybe it's best to eat anyway,
Come on,
Did you and Sergio agree on a particular song ?
No, we just have to sing,
- Where are the trees ? - In the back,
- Did you put the signs on ? - We made two side-panels,
l'll show you,
One and two,
We've got a problem,
We just listened into the Rovigo police radio,
- We'd better stay put, - What's going on ?
What did they say ?
They're checking all entry routes into the city,
- So ? - We'd better wait,
We're safe here,
How much time have we got ?
l mean, how long can we wait ?
The exercise period is between three and four,
lf the roadblocks continue after the next hour,,,
we'll call it a day,
go back the way we came,
Federica, can you help me ?
ls it from Guatemala ?
Yes, my mom gave it to me,
But she bought it off a stall, not in Guatemala,
- Lovely colours ! - Wait,
You take it,
- You said it had sentimental value, - Exactly,
You take it,
l'll take the photo of Geronimo,
You take this,
l don't know if it's silver, l won it at the amusement park,
lt reminds me of a nice day,
What are you taking ?
The telegram from Sergio saying that today's the day,
You didn't tell us what he wrote,
''Outing on Sunday, Will think of you all,''
1 979 was the worst year of our lives,
Terror overwhelmed us, we felt surrounded,
we saw enemies everywhere,
We kept on killing and being killed,
Two of our members died in a bar in Turin:
Matteo Caggegi and Barbara Azzaroni,
both killed in a shootout with the police,
A few months later, in that same bar,,,
one of our groups killed the owner, Carmine Civitate,
accusing him of having called the law in the first place,
But it wasn't like that:
he wasn't to blame, it was someone else,
The whirlpool started to pull harder,
dragging us under,
But it was only in February 1 98O
that l finally realized we'd really hit rock bottom,
His name was William Vaccher,
he did small jobs for us: fake licences, keeping files,
The magistracy were already on his back,
One day they arrested his cousin
and Willy was so scared he turned himself in,
Maybe he just wanted to deny involvement in the serious stuff
but they piled on the pressure and cornered him,
They kept him at the barracks,
They accused him of everything, he was young and sensitive,
he couldn't handle it,
He told them everything he knew,
''l am writing to the paper because l cannot explain anything,
l cannot understand what they are accusing me of,
The only certainty is that l am suspected of everything:
possession and theft of arms,
being in an armed gang and maybe killing Alessandrini,''
lt was the first time that one of us had collaborated with the police,
lt didn't seem possible, it couldn't be true,
lf the others had talked too, it would've been the end,
When his three months were up,,,
MILAN, FEBRUARY 7th 1 98O
Willy,
l decided to stay away from Milan for a while,
Susanna was often in Rome or Florence,
We rarely saw each other,
We rented a little house on the coast,
a place of our own that no one else knew about,
We tried to see each other there, even without a fixed time,
once a month on a certain day,
Almost six months had passed since Willy's murder,
which apart from its atrocity, had also proved to be useless
because other group members had started to talk,
Thanks,
What are you doing ?
Notes for the organizational meeting in Florence,
Right,
Drink it while it's hot,
When are you leaving ?
This afternoon, What about you ?
l'm not,
- Shouldn't you,,, - l should, but l'm not going,
l'm staying here till the next executive meeting,
And then l'll tell them that, well,,,
l've been thinking about something for a while
and now l'm finally certain of it,
- What ? - l'm leaving the organization,
- What do you mean ? - l'm getting out,
l'm leaving Prima Linea,
l don't want to continue like this, l don't understand it,
The people we claim to fight for don't support us,
They don't want us and we don't know them anymore,
- What are you talking about ? - We live at non-existent addresses,
we go out in silence and come back like ghosts,
What kind of life is this ?
l'm tired of meetings, words,
l'm tired of seeing the eyes of our victims,
Eyes like Willy's
that understand you're there to kill them,
The way they look at you,
l'll carry it inside of me forever,
You should come too,
- We should all do the same, - l won't,
The people we're fighting for are worse off than before,
The bosses have more power than before,
Whoever raises their head is crushed quicker than before,
- It's not like you say, - We've made a lot of mistakes,
We've made a lot of people suffer, those deaths,,,
- Weigh on me like they do on you, - Wouldn't you like to erase it all ?
Turn the clock back ?
Everyday, comrades in the media are asking if it's right
to sacrifice humanity in the quest for a better world,
ls it right ?
But l ask myself all the time, and l'm asking you,
ls it right ?
ls it right to experience Iove like this ?
What kind of love is a love that has to hide ?
That can't be seen in public ?
That can't show itself, or hold its head up high ?
That can't say: ''Look how beautiful she is,''
You know when we lost our humanity ?
When we decided to take up arms,
Stop, l don't want to listen anymore,
- But you're going to, - Leave me alone,
lf you want to go, go,
l'm staying,
FLORENCE, DECEMBER 3rd 1 98O
Freeze, drop the gun !
Get up !
Clear !
''Darling,
l'm writing to you from my prison cell in Florence
after days in solitary,
The moment l was arrested,,,
it seemed like time stood still,
l remember a hand that knocked the breath out of me,
the rope around my wrists, the smug tone of the arresting officer,
Then once l was in prison, l remember silence,
a cup of coffee, slippers shuffling on the floor,
Meeting ! Meeting !
''The detainees refused to go back inside,
They wanted to talk to me, l was touched,
They were doing this for me,
Then the iron door opened and in the feeble light
l could make out Alba's youthful frame,''
Just five minutes,
What have they done to you ?
Nothing, l've just got a few bruises,
l came to tell you something,
We didn't want you to hear it from them,
What is it ?
Your mother died,
When ?
Two months ago,
We listened into the radio,
The roadblock's been lifted, the way's clear,
Okay,
Everything okay ?
Yes, everything's fine,
ROVIGO, 3:OO p,m,
What are they doing ? Didn't you tell them ?
l explained to Rita,
Go back inside, we've got a quarrel with the warden,
- That's fine, - We came to lend a hand,
- We'll break her bones, - No, go back inside,
- Do you want to kill her ? - That's our business,
lf you do, l don't agree,
l do, l'll do a thanksgiving dance tonight,
- Go and dance indoors, - Go inside,
You're not my boss, no one tells me what to do,
Forget it, you know what bitches they are, right ?
- Squad Two to D-Saíls, over. - Go ahead.
Game proceedíng peacefully at the stadíum. No scuffles.
Roger.
- Squad four to D-Saíls, over. - Go ahead.
No traffíc problems ín eíther dírectíon on the híghway.
Everything's fine,
Okay,
Let's go,
- Everything okay ? - Everything okay,
- You can't come through here ! - Why ?
- It's off limits, go down there, - Who are you ?
Police, there's an operation underway, Go back,
- May l know,,, ? - No, it'll be over in five minutes,
Please, let's go,
Let's go, Exercise period's over, back inside,
Get down !
Don't yell or l'll smash your head in,
Help,
Now ! Come on !
A wítness saw about ten youths gettíng ínto four vehícles.
lt seems an escapee was wounded.
The colour of the cars ? The regístratíon numbers ?
AJJ we know so far ís what J've told you.
Callíng all other cars: block exít roads from Rovígo.
We're goíng up as far as Cavanella.
Lucío callíng Sírío.
Thís ís Lucío. over.
Thís ís Lucío.
- Come in, Lucio, - l'm ín radío contact wíth Gíulía.
There's a roadblock up ahead.
They got through, but maybe we should splít up.
- Can you see the highway ? - J can see the brídge.
- Is it being watched ? - No, there's no roadblock.
- What should l do ? - Drive straight on,
We'll head for Taglio di Po,
Okay.
They're checking the minor roads,
Maybe we should stop a while and then take the main route,
ln Sottomarina, Rosario and Diego will dispose of the cars,
Lucio and Massimo will take the girls to Vicenza,
Giulia will stay with Federica,
What about us ?
l rented a house in Venice,
Venice ?
l haven't been there for years, Thanks,
Then, l thought,,,
well, l discussed it with the others too,
- They all agree with me, - What ?
The Carabinieri and the cops
won't just try to arrest us after this,
they'll try to kill us,
What can we do ?
Leave Italy,
Get out, go abroad,
Try to bargain from there,
Say we'll put down our arms, surrender,
Susanna, there's no hope,
We can't help the others in jail,
lt's finished,
We've lost,
Let's get away,
lt's our last chance,
We ínterrupt our usual programme wíth a newsflash.
There has been an explosíon at Rovígo women's príson,
followed by the escape of four detaíned terrorísts.
The emergency servíces are on the spot.
lt appears there was a fatalíty.
- The body of Angelo furlan, 65... - It's not possible !
was found at the entrance to the Pasteur Arcade,
close to the príson wall.
At the tíme of the explosíon, Furlan was returníng home
after takíng hís dog for a short waIk.
The ídentíty of the escapees...
How's it possible ? Who watched the arcade ?
l did, l saw him too,
l told him to go the other way, Sergio, it's not my fault !
Shit !
We all thought about the same thing:
death,
Even if we thought we'd avoided it that day,
it still came looking for us,
l believed Susanna's liberation
would be a new start,
But now, as the ferry took us to Venice,
l knew that it wasn't the start of anything,
That nothing l'd thought of would be possible,
We wouldn't escape abroad, or give ourselves up,
we'd stay with the others
till the end,
Susanna was recaptured after a few months
and from that moment, up until my own arrest,
l stopped living,
The only one who after a week of questioning,
tried to say hello to me while they took me away, was Piero,
He was sad about my future,
l would've spent the rest of my life in prison,
l'd see Susanna soon,
in one of the cages during the trials ahead of us,
And to get to see more of her, even if it was only through glass,
l asked her to marry me,
Today, every death
seems like a private, personal death,
A father taken from his children,
a husband torn from his wife,
a youth denied his future,
All the victims, all of them,
even those l didn't strike directly,
weigh heavily on me,
Because l was amongst those who proposed, decided
and passed sentence,
My responsibilities are judicial, political and moral,
l accept them all,
Sergio Segio was arrested at age 27,
His life sentence was later commuted
to 22 years imprisonment,
He was the last Prima Linea militant
to be released in 2004,
Susanna Ronconi, arrested in 1 982,
was released in 1 998,
Today they do volunteer work,