Schio. The context is heated by previous fascist persecutions of the Black Brigades, in which, for example, Giacomo Bogotto was tortured, his eyes gouged out, and perhaps buried alive. And the subsequent Pedescala massacre: 82 innocent civilians killed by the retreating Germans. At the end of the war, the partisan formations were ordered to hand over their weapons and demobilize. Most partisans obeyed the order, but some did not, such as those of the communist-leaning Garibaldi Division “Ateo Garemi.” A partisan unit from the Garibaldi Brigade, commanded by Igino Piva and Valentino Bortoloso (noms of battle “Romero” and “Teppa”), broke into the city prison on the night of July 6th. Not having a list of fascists, they searched for them, but, failing to find them, the victims were chosen from among the prison’s 99 inmates. Of these, only eight had been identified at the time of their arrest as ordinary prisoners, while 91 had been incarcerated as “political” prisoners of possible fascist affiliation. However, their individual identities were still being investigated, and some had already been confirmed as innocent. The eight ordinary prisoners were immediately removed from the list, along with two female political prisoners who were not recognized as such. A rough selection followed, sparking disagreements among the executioners themselves. “Teppa” objected, saying, “Orders are orders and must be carried out.” He never revealed who the orders came from (and it was never established). After an hour of uncertainty, while some unconvinced partisans retreated, 54 people, including 14 women, were killed by machine gun fire. The ex-partisans’ action gained some support in the country, as many feared the impunity of many former fascists. The Allied military government entrusted the investigation to investigators John Valentino and Therton Snyder: in two months of investigations, they identified 15 of the alleged perpetrators of the massacre, eight of whom fled to Yugoslavia before being arrested, and seven of whom were arrested. The trial instituted by the Allied military authorities took place in the autumn of 1945. The court, presided over by American Colonel Beherens, acquitted two of the defendants and convicted the other five. Three were sentenced to death, two were sentenced to life imprisonment, and three others were sentenced in absentia to 24 and 12 years in prison (the death sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment by the head of the Allied military government, Ellery Stone). The five convicts present at the trial actually served sentences between 10 and 12 years. L’Unità had labeled those responsible for the massacre “Trotskyist provocateurs.” In reality, the partisans who carried out the massacre at the Schio prison were linked to the Communist Party. In 1946, Togliatti approved an amnesty for war crimes, benefiting thousands of fascists and collaborators, as well as partisans who carried out the massacres. In recent years, the anniversary of the massacre has been celebrated by right-wing groups with a march through the town, a fact that always sparks considerable controversy. The ANPI has repeatedly condemned both the massacre and the exploitation of the incident. In 2006, a “Joint Declaration on the Values of Civic Concord” was signed, reaffirming the values of the Resistance and democracy and rejecting neo-fascist exploitation of the episode.
