Moro must die for crimes against workers — Brigades

Press, 17 April 1978, Page 8

Moro must die for crimes against workers — Brigades

NZPA-Reuter

Rome

The Red Brigades guerrilla gang has announced that it has sentenced the Italian statesman, Aldo Moro, to death and now seems set to hold the country to ransom for his life.

i In a communique issued lon Saturday night, the Brigades said that the former i Prime Minister had been (condemned for crimes I against the working-classes I attributed to him and the Christian Democratic Party ' which has ruled Italy for more than 30 years. “There is no doubt Aldo Moro is guilty and for that he is sentenced to death,” said the guerrillas, who kidnapped the 61-year-old politician and killed his five police guards a month ago. But they gave no indication when or if they intended to carry out the sentence of their “people’s court,” a tactic which may signal specific ransom demands.

The communique, issued by the Brigades in four big cities through their network of sympathisers, forced all politicians into yet another round of urgent talks on the most serious crisis Italy has faced in its 30-year history. Christian Democratic leaders called on all the forces of democracy to save Mr Moro’s life.

In a statement published by the party newspaper, “11 Popolo,” they said: “It is imperative to work straight away to find a way of bringing Aldo Moro back to his loved ones.” The party has set the

Government line by saying, it will not be blackmailed by the Brigades, but has opened! the way for negotiations by] insisting that every avenue' must be explored to secure] Mr Moro’s release. The Communist Party newspaper, “L’Unita,” called the communique “the cynical announcement of an assassin, totally isolated from the conscience of the Italian people.” The Brigades sentenced Mario Sossi, a Genoa magistrate kidnapped in 1974, to death but released him after a fellow magistrate promised to free the prisoners the! guerrillas wanted. The magistrate, Francesco] Coco, went back on that] promise and the Brigades killed him and his two! guards in 1976. Their communique on Sat-: uraav night said: “The trial; of Aldo. Moro is the most; important moment of the; war of the working classes for communism.”

It specifically accused him and his party of exploiting the working-classes and “the political genocide of the Communist vanguard.” It added: “The interrogation . . . has revealed the filthy complicity of the regime, has pointed with facts and names to the real] and hidden people resp'on- i | sible for the bloodiest pages 1

of our recent history.” The guerrillas promised to publish all about “the scandals, the corruptions, and the complicity of the Christian Democratic bosses.”

The Brigades have so far made no precise demands for Mr Moro’s life, although they said in an earlier communique that one of their, prime objectives was the release of all “Communist prisoners” in Italian jails. There are nearly 300 extreme Leftists in prisons, among them the Brigades leader, Curcio Renato Curcio, and his chief lieutenants from the gang’s early days] in the late 1960 s and early 19705. They are now on trial in Turin.

Early yesterday squads of police scoured the RomeNaples motorway after an anonymous caller told newspapers that Mr Moro could be found there.

But the police later abandoned the search after finding no trace of the politician.

Terrorists, meanwhile, struck with firebombs in several Italian cities on Saturday in a new outburst of urban violence.

An anonymous caller told a Genoa daily newspaper that he represented the Red Brigades and said: “We have burned down the cars of Aldo Moro’s friends.” .