Andrea Salsedo (21 September 1881 – 3 May 1920) was an Italian
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
whose death caused controversy as it was caused by a suspicious fall from the
Justice Department
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
's
Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is a member of ...
(BOI) offices on
15 Park Row in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Depending on the source, his death was either a
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
[David Felix, ''Protest: Sacco-Vanzetti and the Intellectuals'' (1965), 75-76, 80] or a
homicide
Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
committed by detaining officers;
[McCormick, Charles H., ''Hopeless Cases, The Hunt For The Red Scare Terrorist Bombers'' (2005), Lanham Maryland: University Press of America, p. 60] nevertheless, the case was widely debated both for its unclear nature and for its consequences on the Bureau and was one of the premises of the
Sacco and Vanzetti
Nicola Sacco (; April 22, 1891 – August 23, 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (; June 11, 1888 – August 23, 1927) were Italian immigrants and anarchists who were controversially convicted of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick Parm ...
case.
Biography
Andrea Salsedo was born in
Pantelleria
Pantelleria (; ), known in ancient times as Cossyra or Cossura, is an Italian island and comune in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of Sicily and east of the Tunisian coast. On clear days Tunisia is visible from the ...
, in the Italian region of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
. A committed anarchist since his youth, he soon became involved in local politics, and was part of the anarchist club Circolo Sociale founded by
Luigi Galleani
Luigi Galleani (; 12 August 1861 – 4 November 1931) was an Italian insurrectionary anarchism, insurrectionary anarchist and Communism, communist best known for his advocacy of "propaganda of the deed", a strategy of political assassinations ...
, who was in Pantelleria as he had been exiled there. In those years, Salsedo became a personal friend of Galleani. On November 11, 1900, he was tried because of subversive views he had expressed in a letter published in ''L'Avvenire Sociale'', a newspaper published in
Messina
Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...
; the trial, did not lead to any conviction. Salsedo then moved to the United States, and after a brief period in
Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, he arrived in New York City in 1910. There he met his friend Galleani and supported him in the creation and distribution of his magazine ''
Cronaca Sovversiva
''Cronaca Sovversiva'' (Subversive Chronicle) was an Italian-language, anarchism in the United States, United States–based anarchist newspaper associated with Luigi Galleani from 1903 to 1920. It is one of the country's most significant Anarc ...
''. Salsedo also wrote a number of articles for the magazine. The Justice Department of New York included Salsedo in a list of anarchists who fled to Mexico in order to avoid
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Few nations, such ...
. The list also included
Nicola Sacco, Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Roberto Elia, and Galleani.
All anarchists who were part of Galleani's acquaintances, who were also called ''
Galleanists
(Italian for Galleanists) are followers or supporters of the Italian immigrant insurrectionary anarchist Luigi Galleani, who operated most notably in the United States following his immigration to the country. The vast majority of ''Gallea ...
'', were put under surveillance, as they were considered dangerous and possible
terrorists
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
. On 25 February 1920, Salsedo, who was working in the Canzani Printshop as a typesetter at the time, was arrested and brought to the BOI offices on Park Row during or immediately after the
Palmer Raids
The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchist ...
. Salsedo was considered as one of the writers of radical pamphlet ''Plain Words''. At the BOI offices, Salsedo was harshly interrogated and was denied the right to phone his lawyer and his family. According to some sources, he stayed in the offices for eight weeks,
incommunicado. On 3 May 1920, his body was found on the pavement in front of the BOI offices: he had fallen from the 14th floor.
How Salsedo died is still unclear. Some sources say that he got up at night, silently walked across the room and jumped out the window, killing himself. According to Roberto Elia, Salsedo could have been killed for fear of betraying other fellow anarchists.
The ''Boston Herald'' reported that before dying, Salsedo gave names of other anarchists. Other sources, on the contrary, say that Salsedo was severely beaten numerous times during his interrogations,
[Michael Newton, ''The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes'', Infobase, 2009, p. 9.] and was ultimately killed by officers, who hurled him out the window.
Salsedo's death happened just two days prior to Sacco and Vanzetti's arrest.
See also
*
Anarchism in Italy
Italian anarchism as a movement began primarily from the influence of Mikhail Bakunin, Giuseppe Fanelli, Carlo Cafiero, and Errico Malatesta. Rooted in collectivist anarchism and social or socialist anarchism, it expanded to include illegali ...
*
Anarchism in the United States
Anarchism in the United States began in the mid-19th century and started to grow in influence as it entered the American labor movements, growing an anarcho-communist current as well as gaining notoriety for violent propaganda of the deed and c ...
*
Giuseppe Pinelli
Giuseppe "Pino" Pinelli (21 October 1928 – 15 December 1969) was an Italian railroad worker and anarchist, who died while being detained by the ''Polizia di Stato'' in 1969. Pinelli was a member of the Milan-based anarchist association named ...
*
Pietro Valpreda
Pietro Valpreda (29 September 1932 – 6 July 2002) was an Italian anarchist, poet, dancer, and novelist. He was sentenced to prison on charges of being responsible for the Piazza Fontana bombing in December 1969. In 1987, he was acquitted by It ...
References
External links
Andrea Salsedo of Pantelleria libcom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salsedo, Andrea
1881 births
1920 deaths
Galleanisti
Insurrectionary anarchists
Italian anarchists
Italian emigrants to the United States
Deaths by defenestration
Death conspiracy theories
American anarchists