I am amused whenever conservative American stamp collectors complain about United States stamps portraying 'anti-Americans' or 'Communists.' (Recent examples include Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and African-American activist Malcolm X.)
I wonder how liberal Italian stamp collectors feel about this:
Luigi Calabresi is being honored with a new Italian postage stamp. [Gibbons Stamp Monthly]
The Luigi Calabresi postage stamp.Source 
Pictorial First Day postmarks for the Luigi Calabresi postage stamp Read what right-wing Italian politicians have to say about him:
- Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu
the many Italians who will see the serene face of Luigi Calabresi on a stamp can read on it a lesson of civic dedication and pay homage to his heroic experience as a servant of the State, to a man whom we must not forget.
- Communications Minister Maurizio Gasparri:
a true Italian hero. [source: Gibbons Stamp Monthly]
Who was this heroic servant of the Italian State? He was the police official who was widely believed to be responsible for the death of anarchist
Giuseppe Pino Pinelli in 1969. It seems that Italian intelligence and fascist army units were conducting terrorist bomb attacks and blaming them on anarchist groups. While in police custody, Pinelli "somehow" fell to his death out of the
4th floor window of Luigi Calabresi's office. [Calabresi was later cleared of any wrong-doing.
Click here to read [in Italian] that Calabresi wasn't near his office when Pinelli was 'suicided.']
Less than 3 years later, Luigi Calabresi was assassinated by three extreme leftists, Adriano Sofri, Giorgio Pietrostefani, and Ovidio Bompressi. [
source (scroll down)]
Now some Italian Communists think that if Calabresi is worth honoring with a postage stamp, perhaps
a stamp honoring Pino Pinelli should also be issued [if I am reading the Italian correctly]:
Ora nessuno ha niente da dire sul francobollo per il commissario Calabresi. Noi sappiamo che Calabresi era un giovane commissario, dicono che fosse molto bravo, aveva moglie e tre bambini piccoli. Ha perso la vita da servitore dello Stato, ucciso ingiustamente e barbaramente da dissennati e fanatici terroristi: è questa è la motivazione per dedicargli un francobollo. Vorremmo però - lo diciamo senza polemica - che si dimostrasse la stessa sensibilità e riconoscenza per l'anarchico Pino Pinelli. Era un servitore dello Stato anche lui, faceva il ferroviere, lavorava sodo, faceva politica onestamente e con passione, senza ricompense e senza doppi fini, ed è stato ucciso ingiustamente dalla polizia. Non vi sembrerebbe giusto se lo Stato lo risarcisse, seppure con immenso ritardo e con un gesto simbolico infinitamente Piccolo, dedicando anche a lui un francobollo?
Here is a
song dedicated to Pinelli:
Quella sera a Milano era caldo
ma che caldo, che caldo faceva,
"Brigadiere, apri un po' la finestra!",
una spinta ... e Pinelli va giú.
"Sor questore, io gliel'ho giá detto,
le ripeto che sono innocente,
anarchia non vuol dire bombe,
ma uguaglianza nella libertá".
"Poche storie, confessa, Pinelli,
il tuo amico Valpreda ha parlato,
é l'autore di questo attentato
ed il complice certo sei tu".
"Impossibile!", grida Pinelli,
"Un compagno non puó averlo fatto
e l'autore di questo delitto
fra i padroni bisogna cercar".
"Stai attento, indiziato Pinelli,
questa stanza é giá piena di fumo,
se tu insisti, apriam la finestra,
quattro piani son duri da far".
C'e' una bara e tremila compagni,
stringevamo le nostre bandiere,
quella sera l'abbiamo giurato,
non finisce di certo cosí.
E tu Guida, e tu Calabresi,
se un compagno é stato ammazzato,
per coprire una strage di Stato,
questa lotta piú dura sará.
Quella sera a Milano era caldo
ma che caldo, che caldo faceva,
"Brigadiere, apri un po' la finestra!",
una spinta ... e Pinelli va giú.
English translation, by Davide Turcato
That evening it was hot in Milan
how hot, how hot it was,
"Brigadiere, open the window!",
a push ... and Pinelli goes down.
"Mr. questor, I told you already,
I am repeating that I am innocent,
anarchy does not mean bombs,
but equality in liberty".
"No more humbug, confess, Pinelli,
your friend Valpreda talked,
he is the author of this bombing,
and you certainly are the accomplice".
"Impossible!", shouts Pinelli,
"A comrade couldn't possibly do that
and the author of this crime,
must be sought among the masters".
"Watch out, suspect Pinelli,
this room is already full of smoke,
if you persist, we'll open the window,
four floors are hard to do".
There's a coffin and 3,000 comrades,
we were clasping our flags,
that night we swore,
it won't end this way.
And you Guida, you Calabresi,
if a comrade was killed,
to cover a State slaughter,
this fight will just get harder.
That evening it was hot in Milan
how hot, how hot it was,
"Brigadiere, open the window!",
a push ... and Pinelli goes down.
[note: I may have to update this post if the accents do not show up properly, but I'm getting too tired to fix it tonight.]
UPDATE 29 JAN 8:25 AM
I have corrected the accents. I have no idea whether acute or grave accents are correct; I have kept them as they were in the original sources.
This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that's gone.
For by the life and death of Jesus,
God's mighty Spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference,
as faith and hope are born again.
--Brian Wren
This is a day of new beginnings, 1978, alt.
(1st 2 verses)
