L' Assalto di Piazza San Marco | Venezia '97

Music:    • Rondò Veneziano - La Serenissima (Harty, 2...   “Serenissimi” is the name given by the mass media to a group of people operating under the names Veneto Serenissimo Government and Venetian Most Serene Army, who in the mid 1990s carried out a series of demonstrative actions aimed at advancing the cause of self determination for the Venetian people and the Veneto region. On May 8, 1997, almost coinciding with the bicentenary of the fall of the Republic of Venice, the Serenissimi decided to attempt an even more sensational action. Having set out from the Padua area in a stolen camper van and a truck carrying the “Tanko”, the nine activists arrived shortly after midnight at the Tronchetto landing stage, where they boarded an ACTV scheduled ferry bound for the Lido of Venice. Some of them, dressed in camouflage uniforms and armed with a Beretta MAB 38 submachine gun, a functioning World War II weapon, reached the control cabin and ordered the captain to divert the landing craft to St. Mark’s Square. Once they had landed in the square, some of the participants occupied it, pretending to hold it under threat with the “armoured vehicle”, which in fact had no weapons, while the rest of the group broke down the door and climbed to the top of St. Mark’s bell tower. Upon reaching the bell chamber, they raised the flag bearing the winged lion, the symbol of the Republic of Venice. This act of protest was later declared by those involved to have been the true objective of their action. According to what was established later, the occupants of the bell tower intended to hold their position until May 12, the bicentenary of the abdication of the Venetian Republic’s Great Council and Doge Ludovico Manin in favour of the French troops. For this purpose, they had also brought food supplies. The men in the bell tower also installed a radio transmitter, which according to their own statement was intended to broadcast further messages related to their protest on Rai Uno. This definitively clarified that the same group was behind both the occupation and the pirate broadcasts, which were also repeated during the occupation. The “rebels” informed the authorities, who had meanwhile isolated the square and closed it to the public, that they would begin negotiations as soon as one of their representatives arrived. That same night, the mayor of Venice, Massimo Cacciari, went to speak with them, asking what their demands were and unsuccessfully urging them to abandon the occupation. At 8:15 a.m. on May 9, on the orders of the prefect, members of the Carabinieri GIS, including one of its founders, Commander Alfa, began clearing the area. One group of officers occupied the square and arrested the occupants, while another group climbed the bell tower using scaffolding installed on the outside of the monument, with others entering from below. Within a few minutes, the Carabinieri had arrested all those who had taken part in the action. DISCLAIMERS: The videos posted on this channel feature real-world combat footage, presented solely for artistic and creative purposes. The creator does not condone or promote violence, and this content is not meant to convey or promote any political ideologies, opinions, or agendas. Viewer discretion is advised. FAIR USE DISCLAIMER This video contains copyrighted material that is used under the Fair Use provisions of copyright law. The content is used for commentary, criticism, or creative purposes and is not intended for commercial gain. This channel is not monetized and will never be. All rights to the original footage and music remain with their respective copyright holders.