The assault, the hostages and the fire of revenge. Graziella Fava, innocent victim of terror

NOT TO FORGET

THE INNOCENT VICTIMS

OF TERRORISM

Barbara Azzaroni was a teacher. She had a daughter, but that didn’t stop her from going underground. She abandoned her job and family, she moved to Turin, under a false identity. On February 28, 1979, she found herself in a bar with other terrorists to organize an attack; they were armed and wore bulletproof vests. One of the accomplices, who had the task of acting as a lookout, went into a shop and bought a Carnival mask. The clerk became suspicious given that Lent had begun that very day; she called the police, who arrived immediately, raiding the place. Barbara and her accomplice started shooting; the police returned fire, killing them both. Azzaroni’s funeral took place on March 6: more than two thousand people attended with their faces covered, defying the controls. In the following days the press attacked terrorism and Barbara, drawing revenge from the armed militants. On March 13, the terrorists entered the headquarters of the Emilia-Romagna Press Association, trapped the employees in the closet, took the little money they found, took possession of the list of journalists, then set fire. The police intervened and evacuated the building. Unfortunately, no one thought of Graziella Fava, domestic worker of a lady who had an apartment near the journalists’ headquarters. Her body was found near the elevator, after the fire was put out: she had died of suffocation due to smoke fumes.