You can see our highlight dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Matteotti's murder here
The assassination of the Italian politician Giacomo Matteotti on 10 June 1924 caused a major stir not only in Italy. The news also caused consternation in many other European countries. Matteotti’s name became a kind of symbol of anti-fascism, first in Italy and later at an international level.
The wave of outrage over his murder also spread to Luxembourg. The Luxembourg daily newspaper “Luxemburger Wort” regularly published articles about Matteotti's affair, including the trial that took place a few years after his murder in 1926. A demonstration against Matteotti's murder even took place in the south of Luxembourg, in Esch-sur-Alzette, in 1924 due to the fact that many Italian immigrants lived in this region. They mostly immigrated here to work in the steel industry.
Barely 16 days after Matteotti's assassination, on 26 June 1924, the headquarters of the Luxembourg Communist Party and the Luxembourg Labour Party called for a demonstration by displaying posters. This is revealed by documents in the National Archives, mainly police reports written by the policemen on duty during the demonstration. According to the reports, between 800 and 1,000 people demonstrated. The majority were allegedly Italian citizens working in the local steel industry as already mentioned.
Some of them marched with signs proclaiming; "Scattiamo L’italia. Del mostruoso sel Vaggio. Abasso il Fascismo. Vigliacco. Assasino." "Giustizia, Giustizia, domandano le victime del Fascismo barbo." (“Let's shoot Italy. Of the monstrous savage. Down with fascism. Coward. Murderer.” “Justice, Justice, demand the victim of barbarian fascism.”), as well as photos of Matteotti through the streets. The protesters also chanted "Eviva Matteotti. Abasso Mussolini" (“Long live Matteotti. Down with Mussolini.”). However, the policemen accompanying the march called on the organisers to refrain from such shouts, as they had been ordered to prevent verbal attacks or insults against the Italian government during the demonstrations. The organising committee thus admonished the protesters to avoid from doing so, who then changed the shout to "Abasso il Fascismo" (“Down with fascism.”). During the demonstration, speeches were given by significant Luxembourg personalities, such as the alderman of Esch-sur-Alzette, Jakob Thilmany, and the city councillor, Peter Buckovac. But also, members of parliament, such as Peter Krier and René Blum, both social democrats from the region, spoke out.
All in all, the demonstration was very peaceful and gradually dispersed towards the afternoon.
However, this event in memory of Giacomo Matteotti was not to be the only one of its kind in Luxembourg. A few years later, in 1927, the Luxembourg section of the International "Red Aid" organised a commemoration to mark the third anniversary of Matteotti's death, again in the southern town of Esch-sur-Alzette.
The communist party announced the memorial service a few days in advance by putting up red posters. Around 150 people gathered on 18 June 1927 to commemorate the murdered Matteotti. More than half of the participants were Italian citizens. The Luxembourg politician and leader of the Communist Party, Zénon Bernard, was the speaker at the memorial service. In his speech, he blamed Mussolini's government for the murder of Matteotti. Like the speakers at the 1924 demonstration, Krier and Blum, Bernard also condemned the murder in the strongest terms. Among other things, he emphasised that a crackdown on social democratic and communist tendencies was making itself felt across many countries and that fascism was gradually gaining the upper hand in Italy. In his speech, he warned that Luxembourg might not remain unthreatened by these tendencies and said: "We, too, will see the parliament in this country being abolished at a given moment and dictatorship emerging".
ANLux, J-076-009, 1927.
Poster in 3 languages: German, French, Polish. Translation: International "Red Aid"
- Luxembourg Section -
Workers! Women! Friends of Red Aid!
Come to the Matteotti memorial service on Saturday 18 June 1927 at 8 o’clock in the evening, Bernabei hall, Otherstraße.
The Committee