The Padanian Union (''Unione Padana'', UP) is a
Padanist and
separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
active in
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
The party emerged in November 2011 by the merger of
Lega Padana Lombardia, led by
Roberto Bernardelli and
Giulio Arrighini, and other groups of Padanists led by
Francesco Formenti and
Giovanni Ongaro. All four politicians had been deputies of
Lega Lombarda
Lega Lombarda (; abbr. LL), whose complete name is (), is a regionalism (politics), regionalist List of political parties in Italy, political party active in Lombardy. Established in 1984, it was one of the founding "national" sections of Lega ...
–
Lega Nord
Lega Nord (LN; ), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing politics, right-wing, federalism, federalist, populism, populist and conservatism, conservative list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy. In the run-up to the 201 ...
in the 1990s.
The first congress of the party was attended by leading Padanists such as
Giancarlo Pagliarini,
Gilberto Oneto,
Gianluca Marchi and
Leonardo Facco.
As soon as in March 2012 the provincial wing of
Bergamo
Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
, led by Ongaro, split and formed the
Alpine Padanian Union (UPA).
In May 2013 the Padanian Union joined a new organization: Lombard Independence (''Indipendenza Lombarda'').
The following year, in April 2014, Bernardelli was arrested, along with a group of Venetian separatists (including
Franco Rocchetta
Franco Rocchetta (born Venice, 12 April 1947) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, philologist and history populariser, who is usually described as the "father" of present-day Venetian nationalism and independentism.
Early life and politi ...
, leading members of the
Venetian Most Serene Government and the
European Federalist Free Entrepreneurs), for suspected crimes including criminal association for terrorism and subversion of the democratic order.
Bernardelli was released on 18 April, along with Rocchetta and most of the others, as the tribunal of
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
did not uphold the accusations.
Leadership
*Secretary:
Giulio Arrighini (2011–2013)
*President:
Roberto Bernardelli (2011–2013)
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
2011 establishments in Italy
Padanian nationalist parties
Political parties in Lombardy
Political parties established in 2011
Separatism in Italy
Padanian independence activists