A-Infos (en) Italy, Sicilia Libertaria #470 - HISTORY. Giovanni Millimaggi, anti-fascist and libertarian communist from Sicily (1) (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The crisis that has gripped Sicily for several years now, a crisis that 
is taking shape as a general one, affecting all sectors-from the 
economic and social to the political-institutional, and even the 
cultural-and taking on the characteristics of an identity crisis, 
requires a reevaluation of deliberately forgotten figures, men and women 
who, with their comprehensive personalities, contribute to 
reestablishing a system of values that, by combining the past with the 
present, can constitute a valuable point of reference for the 
revitalization of the island in all its aspects. This remedy, like the 
one we have outlined, is systemic, not cyclical, and as such, demands a 
radical alternative, one that affects the foundations of the social 
structure and is centered on direct representation and libertarian 
principles.
One such figure is undoubtedly Giovanni Millimaggi, a multifaceted 
figure: a scholar of pedagogy and law, a politically engaged 
intellectual, an early anti-fascist, a libertarian communist, and a 
champion of Sicilian independence and egalitarian federalism. Here, we 
will outline some of the key stages of his rich and troubled life, 
drawing inspiration from a biography written by his nephew Daniele and 
significantly titled A Free Man. The Story of Giovanni Millimaggi 
(Youcanprint, Lecce, 2020).
Giovanni Millimaggi was born on January 11, 1887, in Barcellona Pozzo di 
Gotto, a populous agricultural and commercial center in the province of 
Messina. He came into the hands of a wealthy family of landowners, who 
were later forced, due to financial difficulties, to sell their 
holdings, spread throughout the municipality of Castroreale and 
surrounding areas, and move to the capital. Here, he began his career as 
an elementary school teacher and published several articles on pedagogy 
in specialized journals. He became interested in socialist thought and 
contributed to various local periodicals: "La Provincia Socialista," 
"Germinal," and "Il Canonico Mazza," alongside influential figures in 
the political and cultural world such as Concetto Marchesi, Gaetano 
Salvemini, and Giovanni Pascoli, who had taught at the University of 
Messina.
He also contributed to the anarchist periodical "Il Risveglio," which 
included Piero Gori among its contributors.
In 1921, following the Livorno split within the Socialist Party, he 
joined the Communist Party of Italy, despite not being a member, sharing 
its revolutionary perspective.
In 1925, he graduated in Law from the University of Messina. He was 
already suspected of being anti-fascist, so much so that the police 
monitored his movements.
In 1930, he moved to Milan, where he worked as a lawyer for the Istituto 
Contenzioso Commerciale. In 1932, the Prefecture noted his activism, 
listed him among the leaders of the Milanese communists, and noted his 
efforts as a courier recruiter among exiles and anti-fascists who 
remained in their homeland.
In 1933, the commissioner of the Political Police, Renzo Mambrini, 
infiltrated the clandestine anti-fascist network. He managed to meet 
with Millimaggi, presumably by posing as a fellow lawyer. In a report, 
he noted that Millimaggi, in conversation with him, often used mediocre 
arguments, feigned confusion about communism, and suspected the identity 
of his interlocutor, but in reality was "a person gifted with ease of 
speech and a good legal education." Commissioner Mambrini therefore 
classified him as "a subversive with communist leanings" (p. 49).
The police circle thus tightened around Giovanni Millimaggi. The 
epilogue came at the end of April 1933. Shortly thereafter, the trap was 
sprung. He was arrested while, along with some comrades, preparing to 
rehearse for an anti-fascist propaganda radio broadcast to mark May Day, 
which the fascist regime had abolished as a workers' holiday, replacing 
it with a revived and fictitious Rome Day, coinciding with the legendary 
founding of the capital in 753 BC. Giovanni Millimaggi himself was 
scheduled to deliver the celebratory speech. Arrested with the others, 
he was taken to Milan's San Vittore prison and subjected to harsh 
interrogations, during which he was threatened with death with a 
revolver pointed at his head, in a sort of Russian roulette. But the 
threats and violence of his tormentors did not break his faith. Thus, by 
order of the Provincial Commission of July 28, 1933, Millimaggi was 
assigned to confinement on Ponza with the following motivation: 
"Communist organization: attempt to install a radio transmitter to 
broadcast a message on May 1st" (p. 60).
Millimaggi became close to the communist confined, but found their 
confinement organization too rigid and, therefore, asserted his own 
autonomy and libertarian component, while maintaining lively dialogue, 
especially with Giorgio Amendola.
He quickly revealed himself as a rebellious confined person, classified 
among the diehards. He participated in some extreme forms of protest, 
such as those against the confiscation of correspondence not from very 
close relatives and the demand for the renting of private accommodations 
and the management of communal soup kitchens by the confined.
Following subsequently organized strikes, Millimaggi was arrested and 
transferred to the Poggioreale prison in Naples for trial, where he was 
sentenced to 12 months.
The sentence was later reduced to 8 months.

Antonio Catalfamo
(Continued)

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