TERRORISM IN ITALY.

Northern Advocate, 16 July 1921, Page 4

TERRORISM IN ITALY.

According to one of yesterday's' telegrams there has been a fresh outbreak of "Fascisti terrorism" in Italy, though it was. or three weeks ago that the Fascist! and the Socialist? had agreed to cease hostilities. Apparently •the Fascisti eleriicnts have broken the truce and have become the aggressors, though their original purpose was dimply to counteract the efforts of the Socialists. The latter, it will-be remembered, organised direct action two years ago, and for a, while they had things all their own way. The police and . the military took steps to quell the outbreaks of violence, but the general public obtained scanty protection and. suffered seriously at the hauds of the Socialist, terrorists. There was a strong Wlv of public opinion against the application of Bolshevism to Italian industry, and the editor of a newspaper \n Milan organised a small association, which fee colled 'the '' Fasci di Combattiments," to resist the spread of-Bol-shevism. His movement, spread throughout Italy when the serious Socialist outbreaks occurred last year, and it was estimated recently that there were 400 local groups of Fascisti, numbering about 100,000 members.- Men of all patties except the Socialists joined th.) bands, and in each there was organised :i ".squadron of action" composed nur-tly of young men who had servctr in the war.. Where outbreaks of violence occurred the local Fasci assisted to suppress them, and reinforcement.* were sent us .required by the Fasci of other ureas. In pints of Italy a state of open warfare prevailed for a time between the two factious. The Socialists evidently got tired of fighting and ■were glad to make peace, but now the Faseisti appear to havo developed a liVniii' for methods of violence. For a ) i:ii"'tlwv p/'ovide • an *ex<!e]leiit remedy for ''he disev-' o! Bolshevism, but tne nviedv is no 1 -" 1e ng rather overdone.