Notizie.it editorial team Alberto Franceschini, one of the founders of the Red Brigades, died on April 11, but the news was only recently made public. With a past full of dramatic and controversial events, Franceschini was a central figure in a dark period of Italian history, characterized by political violence and terrorism.
A past of struggle and violence
Born in Reggio Emilia, Franceschini came from a communist family, with his grandfather among the founders of the Communist Party of Italy. In 1970, together with Renato Curcio and Mara Cagol, he transformed the Political Collective Workers Students in an armed organization. The first actions of the Red Brigades, which ranged from sabotage to kidnappings, marked the beginning of an escalation of violence that culminated in the kidnapping of Judge Mario Sossi and the murder of two militants of the Italian Social Movement in Padua in 1974.
Arrest and dissociation
Franceschini was arrested in 1978 during an operation conducted by the Carabinieri, thanks to the infiltration of Silvano Girotto, known as Brother MitraSentenced to over 60 years in prison for his crimes, he dissociated himself from the armed struggle in 1982, finally leaving prison in 1992. After his release, he moved to Rome, where he devoted himself to social reintegration projects for migrants and prisoners, trying to detach himself from his violent past.
A controversial legacy
Franceschini's figure remains controversial and symbolic of an era that has profoundly affected Italian society. The Red Brigades, along with other extremist groups, were responsible for hundreds of murders and thousands of injuries, leaving an open wound in the country's democratic fabric. Despite his attempt to reintegrate into society, his name resurfaced in 2024 during a commemoration for Alexei Navalny, demonstrating that the past cannot be easily forgotten.
Franceschini's family has chosen to maintain the utmost confidentiality regarding his death, with a private funeral and no public obituaries. Those close to him have confirmed that he had been ill for some time. With his passing, a chapter of a complex and painful story closes, which continues to question contemporary Italy.