Franco Piperno
Encyclopedia
Franco Piperno is an Italian former communist militant. He is currently an associated professor of Condensed Matter Physics
in the University of Calabria
..
He graduated in physics at the University of Pisa
and was member of the FGCI (Italy's communist youth organization). After his expulsion, in 1969 he was suspected of having sabotaged a Boston Chemical plant, which produced defoliant used in the Vietnam war
, but he was immediately released. In Rome he was an activist in the 1968 movement and in the summer 1969 he took part in the demonstration against Fiat
in Turin
.
In the late 1969, along with Oreste Scalzone
and Toni Negri, he was one of the founders of the far-left organisation Potere Operaio
, and later he was a member of Autonomia Operaia
. He also led the wing of Potere Operaio called Lavoro Illegale ("Illegal Work")
Along with Toni Negri, Oreste Scalzone and others, he was charged for the publication of subversive magazines in 1979 but he escaped the capture. In 1980 he was absolved, but one year later he was condemned to 10 years of imprisonment in another trial for insurrectional activity and participation to the kidnapping of Aldo Moro
. In particular, he was accused of having acted as a negotiator (through one of the kidnappers, Valerio Morucci
) between the Italian Socialist Party
and the terrorists who were allegedly detaining Moro. Documents left by the journalist Mino Pecorelli after his murder also hinted at an involvement of Piperno in the kidnapping. Piperno then lived in exile for several years, first in France
and then in Canada
, where he also obtained a position at the University of Montreal. Most of the charges were later dropped, and the sentence was reduced to 4 years.
Piperno came back in Italy from Canada in 1990 and became active locally in his hometown, Cosenza
, creating the cultural association Ciroma. In January 1996 his car was hit by four handgun bullets. In May 1996 Piperno became a member of the local council of the city of Cosenza
.
Condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. These properties appear when a number of atoms at the supramolecular and macromolecular scale interact strongly and adhere to each other or are otherwise highly concentrated in a system. The most familiar...
in the University of Calabria
University of Calabria
The University of Calabria is a state-run university in Italy.Located in Arcavacata di Rende, a suburb of Cosenza, the university was founded in 1972...
..
Biography
Piperno was born at Catanzaro.He graduated in physics at the University of Pisa
University of Pisa
The University of Pisa , located in Pisa, Tuscany, is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, although there had been lectures on law in Pisa since the 11th century...
and was member of the FGCI (Italy's communist youth organization). After his expulsion, in 1969 he was suspected of having sabotaged a Boston Chemical plant, which produced defoliant used in the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, but he was immediately released. In Rome he was an activist in the 1968 movement and in the summer 1969 he took part in the demonstration against Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
In the late 1969, along with Oreste Scalzone
Oreste Scalzone
Oreste Scalzone is an Italian Marxist intellectual and one of the founders of the communist organization Potere Operaio....
and Toni Negri, he was one of the founders of the far-left organisation Potere Operaio
Potere Operaio
Potere Operaio was a radical left-wing Italian political group, active between 1968 and 1973. Among the group's leaders were Antonio Negri, Franco Piperno, Oreste Scalzone and Valerio Morucci, who led its clandestine...
, and later he was a member of Autonomia Operaia
Autonomia Operaia
Autonomia Operaia was an Italian extra-parliamentary leftist movement particularly active from 1976 to 1978. It emerged in 1972 not as a party but rather as a place of encounter among various extra-parliamentary and revolutionary left-wing tendencies opposed to reformism...
. He also led the wing of Potere Operaio called Lavoro Illegale ("Illegal Work")
Along with Toni Negri, Oreste Scalzone and others, he was charged for the publication of subversive magazines in 1979 but he escaped the capture. In 1980 he was absolved, but one year later he was condemned to 10 years of imprisonment in another trial for insurrectional activity and participation to the kidnapping of Aldo Moro
Kidnapping of Aldo Moro
The kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro was a seminal event in Italian political history.On the morning of 16 March 1978, the day in which the new cabinet led by Giulio Andreotti would undergo the confidence vote at the Italian Parliament, the car of Aldo Moro, former prime minister and then...
. In particular, he was accused of having acted as a negotiator (through one of the kidnappers, Valerio Morucci
Valerio Morucci
Valerio Morucci is an Italian former terrorist, who was a member of the Red Brigades and who took part in the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro in 1978.-Biography:...
) between the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
and the terrorists who were allegedly detaining Moro. Documents left by the journalist Mino Pecorelli after his murder also hinted at an involvement of Piperno in the kidnapping. Piperno then lived in exile for several years, first in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and then in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he also obtained a position at the University of Montreal. Most of the charges were later dropped, and the sentence was reduced to 4 years.
Piperno came back in Italy from Canada in 1990 and became active locally in his hometown, Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
, creating the cultural association Ciroma. In January 1996 his car was hit by four handgun bullets. In May 1996 Piperno became a member of the local council of the city of Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
.
See also
- AutonomismAutonomismAutonomism refers to a set of left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. As an identifiable theoretical system it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerist communism...
- Primavalle FirePrimavalle FireThe Primavalle Fire was an arson which occurred in Rome on April 16, 1973, and which caused the death of two youngsters, children of neo-fascist MSI member Mario Mattei....
- Kidnapping of Aldo MoroKidnapping of Aldo MoroThe kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro was a seminal event in Italian political history.On the morning of 16 March 1978, the day in which the new cabinet led by Giulio Andreotti would undergo the confidence vote at the Italian Parliament, the car of Aldo Moro, former prime minister and then...