Ciao Paolo: a tribute to Paolo Finzi from the collective of Centro Studi Libertari

A tribute to the Milanese anarchist, author and publisher.

Submitted by Kate Sharpley on July 22, 2020

We are deeply saddened to announce Paolo Finzi’s passing. Yesterday, July 20 2020, he took his own life.

Born in 1951, since the mid-Seventies he has been responsible, together with his partner Aurora Failla, for the monthly magazine A rivista anarchica, which he contributed to (and founded as well). He was also among the founders of Centro Studi Libertari / Archivio G. Pinelli.

A friend and comrade through many battles, a master of anarchism and ethics, dialogue and debate, a brilliant, intelligent, sensitive and kind man who taught us to doubt and reflect, to listen and respect in a deep and profound way.

Paolo, for more than half a century, was one of the central figures of the Milanese and Italian anarchist movement. In 1968, after meeting Giuseppe Pinelli, he joined his group, Bandiera Nera, and began to participate in the anarchist circle Ponte della Ghisolfa. On December 12 1969 he was the youngest among those arrested following the bombing in Piazza Fontana in Milan. In February 1971 he founded A rivista anarchica together with Amedeo Bertolo, Fausta Bizzozero, Rossella di Leo, Luciano Lanza, Nico Berti and Roberto Ambrosoli. In 1976 he was also among the founders of Centro Studi Libertari / Archivio G. Pinelli.

Untiring publicist, he also authored books, such as that on Sicilian anarchist Alfonso Failla (Insuscettibile di ravvedimento. L’anarchico Alfonso Failla (1906-1986): carte di polizia, scritti, testimonianze, La Fiaccola, Ragusa, 1993) and on Errico Malatesta (La nota persona. Errico Malatesta in Italia (dicembre 1919 – luglio 1920), La Fiaccola, Ragusa, 1990), and a number of dossiers on various anarchist personalities such as Emilio Canzi, Giuseppe Pinelli, Franco Serantini. As the coordinator of publishing cooperative Editrice A he published and edited Che non ci sono poteri buoni. Il pensiero (anche) anarchico di Fabrizio De André, Milan, 2018, and Farò del mio peggio. Cronache anarchiche a fumetti, Milan, 2019, on the legacy of anarchist comic characher Anarchik. Friend of Dori Ghezzi and the late Fabrizio De André, he edited CDs, DVDs and other publications on the Genoese singer-songwriter and his legacy, after his passing. Over the years he has tirelessly organized and promoted hundreds of conferences on the many facets of anarchist thought and action, and also on subjects dear to him such as the poetics of De André and the culture and persecution of Roma and Sinti people.

Our thoughts and love goes to Aurora, her children Alba and Elio, and grandchildren Lapo and Luna; and to his closest associates Carlotta and Michela.

the collective of Centro Studi Libertari

[Links

Centro Studi Libertari: https://www.centrostudilibertari.it
A Rivista Anarchica: http://www.arivista.org/
You can read Paolo’s article Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Pinelli (1928-1969): the 17th victim of the Piazza Fontana bombing here https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/f7m14m]

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