The Massacre of Bologna... 30 Years Later

Maria Rita Latto (August 03, 2010)
On August 2, 1980 a bomb exploded at the Central Railway Station of Bologna killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. The attack, which had been attributed to a neo-fascist group of terrorists, was considered to be the culmination of a decade of violence by right and left extremist groups. Today, 30 years later, Prime Minister Berlusconi decided not to send ministers and other officials to attend to the ceremonies of commemoration

Bologna, August 2, 2010, 10.25 a.m.

A ghostly silence is broken by a list of names read aloud in a railway station. Thirty years have passed since August 2, 1980 when a bomb exploded at the Central Railway Station killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. The victims were mainly station workers, passengers, tourists, some from foreign nations, and other visitors. The attack has been attributed to the NAR (Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari), a neo-fascist terrorist organization. The bomb, contained in an unattended suitcase inside an air-conditioned waiting room, exploded at 10.25 a.m. The choice of the day, the first Saturday of August, the hour, and the location clearly indicate that the bombing had been planned in order to target as many victims as possible during the period when hundreds are usually setting off on their holidays. And, in fact, it remains the most devastating terrorist attack in Italian history and is considered to be the culmination of a decade of terrorist violence by right and left extremist groups.

During the 1970s and 1980s in Italy there was the so-called “strategy of tension,” that is, a series of terrorist attacks launched around the same time with no clear central catalyst or focus such as a failed military plot or Masonic groups trying (and in many cases, succeeding) to gain power by installing their members within national institutions. Details about most of these events are still shrouded in “state secret” and surrounded by an aura of mystery. The explosion in Bologna nearly destroyed the main building and hit the Ancona-Chiasso train that was waiting for the signal to leave from the first platform.

The station was full of tourists and the city was not prepared to face such a massively tragic event. There were not enough ambulances so it was necessary to use taxis and buses to transport the wounded to various hospitals in the area. The reason why terrorists chose Bologna, according to those who investigated the bombing, could be found in its history of left-wing politics along with its strong civic culture and anti-fascism and Partisan tradition. The tragic event immediately inspired Bologna’s residents to react against the terrorist act: a few hours later many citizens had spontaneously gathered to show that the city was alive despite the death toll that rose with each passing hour. Since then, there have been annual events commemorating the tragedy on behalf of the families of the victims. Inside the station the original clock has remained permanently set at 10.25 a.m., and inside the rebuilt waiting room there are still edges of the wall that was blown apart by the bomb. On the floor the crater has been preserved in order to show the exact spot where the bomb exploded. Every year the commemoration ceremony begins with a march through the city with many of the victims’ families taking part. And, over the years, cultural and artistic events have become a part of the tribute, an increasingly creative way to express the city’s own collective memory.

Outside the Central Station and in Bologna’s main square, Piazza Maggiore, memorials honoring the victims were placed next to portraits of Partisans who died during the Italian Resistance against the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. It is a way to share pages from the nation’s history with new generations who must not forget the horror. A long and controversial court case began after the bombing, and thirty years later it is still full of murky issues despite sentencing the two terrorists to life imprisonment.

Francesca Mambro and Giusva Fioravanti who belong to NAR’s extreme-right group keep proclaiming their innocence in the bombing while admitting their involvement in 33 murders during the so-called “Anni di Piombo.” Of course, relatives of the victims, united in an association, do not believe their innocence and want to know the names of all those involved in the massacre beginning with those who planned it to those who personally planted the bomb. Among the many hypotheses, one theory purports that officials in the Italian Secret Service were involved along with members of the secret organization known as the P2. After thirty years there are still so many questions but very few certain facts.

This year the memorial for the thirtieth anniversary was surrounded by controversy that, as long as Silvio Berlusconi is prime minister, never fails to emerge. The government, in fact, decided for the first time not to send ministers and other officials to attend to the ceremonies. The reason for this is that every year the representatives of the government have been targeted by protesters in the crowd and by families of the victims who will persist until they learn the truth about how and why their loved ones dies. This decision was viewed by the public and political opponents to the center-right government as a way to escape from an “unpleasant” situation while dodging critics and detractors. Paolo Bolognesi, president of the victims’ association said: “Ours has been a long battle against the passing of time, against the silence and the lies, against those who want us to forget.” Mr. Bolognesi called for the government to open all files on the case and to uncover all of the secrets that are behind the bombing.

One more year has passed and so many questions are still waiting for a definitive answer, while the commemoration ceremonies demonstrated that despite the never-ending pain of striking the “rubber wall,” it remains impenetrable.

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on John Gobin Shaw (not verified) wrote

Many Felony Terrorist Threats Before Buttevant and Bologna

Self-admitted terrorists in contact with terrorist cells in Europe told me for six months about two terrorist slaughters "arranged and guaranteed" to happen. One would be a derailment made to look like an accident. The other would be an obvious terrorist event. They reminded me no fewer than fifty times to remember the word (phonetically) Eireann because that was the name of one of the organizations that had "arranged and guaranteed" one of the events. The felony terrorist threats were much more detailed and extensive than mentioned here. Coras Iompair Eireann admitted responsibility for the human slaughter I survived in Ireland, but only for an accident due to negligence; however, I assure you, there is no honest, decent person anywhere who, if they heard all the terrorist threats that came before the killings in Ireland and Bologna, would accept without question Coras Iompair Eireann's accident version of events. The two self-proclaimmed terrorists in Germany who made all the threats were Sergeant John P. Vogel and Specialist Stavrinakis both of the United States Army. This information is NOT meant to mislead or to libel in any way. The threats happened. The two mass killings happened. The terrorist threats and what happened in Buttevant, County Cork and in Bologna,Italy the following morning were too similar to be merely coincidence. If you had heard the threats, you would follow exactly what I am saying. After six months of precisely worded terrorist threats I got Specialist Stavrinakis before an informal hearing. I was trying to get witnesses and an official record of the threats. That way I would have a record of the threats if something happened later. Stavrinakis stated at the hearing that he had never made any threats. He said he had no idea what I was talking about. He lied about everything exactly like a criminal thug. Look at the poor people slaughtered at Buttevant. Look at the people blasted to pieces in the train station the morning after my train was derailed. If they had survived, I think they would have known what Stavrinakis and Vogel had been threatening. Witnesses in Germany were warned not to speak out. Nobody wanted to get involved. I mean, get real people. I told my roommate, Jimmy Rowe, they would derail my train in Ireland three months before it happened, but only to be accused of being paranoid. Then, three months later it happened. This is all true. Do not be deceived by governments who have learned to murder with impunity. I was right there when witnesses were threatened with realiation if they gave testimony. They assured certain retaliation against any children witnesses might have in the future. These were US Army fascists doing the threatening. They admitted having contacts with terrorist cells in Europe.
on John Gobin Shaw (not verified) wrote

Most Of Those I Told About 9-11 Before 9-11.

These are persons I told about the coming attacks of 9-11 in varying degrees of detail, beginning around September of 1997, and continuing to and through the night of September 10, 2001 in as near chronological order as I was able to remember. Source---Discovery 9-11: Genesis of American Terror. Copyright John Gobin Shaw 2006. Mary Conley 1996. This is an exception and not easy to explain. One other was there too. This was at the Martin County Literacy Council when it was on Ocean Boulevard. 60 to 75 students at Yeungjin Junior College 1997. Larry W. Bowman, PH.D. 1997. Larry thought it would happen. He was in the police department in Cincinnati, Ohio for ten years. He fought in the war in Vietnam. He was called back to active duty in the Montana National Guard after the attacks of September, and saw action in Iraq. Ken Biondi 1997. Ken, Larry, Wendy, James, and I were colleagues. Professors Wendy and James Olmsted 1997, 2000, 2001. I kept warning Wendy to avoid New York and all big tourist attractions there, and it was in writing. Doris Hoffman 1997 or 98. This was a young German woman I met in Hanoi. She had bicycled from Germany to Hanoi. Xiang Li Zhu 1997-2001. Rufus W. (Dub) Davis 1998. That was only a vague hint. I did not give them full information. There were two others. Officer Danny Carey 1998. Brian_____1999. I don’t remember his last name. He lived at Marks Landing and was an EMT. 3-4 guys in youth hostel in Santa Cruz, CA 1999. Passengers and driver on Greyhound bus coastal CA 1999. Stacie (Steve) Homer 1999-00. Steve remembered vividly that I had told him. This was back in Korea. Andrew Campbell 1999-00. Students and teachers in Jinan, China in late 2000. These were 18 people. Here I was told I would be fired if I kept talking about the coming attacks which they insisted was all nonsense and would never happen. Xiang Li Zhu’s uncle Dec. 2000 in Beijing. He didn’t understand a word of English. I told him anyway. Jeff Shaw December 2000. 911 Stuart FL early 2001. Mr. Osborne of FL DOC early 2001, Craig Newbould early 2001. 4 persons at church dinner April 2001, Eva Schulman May 2001. Nurse at Martin Memorial Hospital on or around May 22, 2001. 6 persons in Shepard Park August 2001 (Robert Dixon and Martin Wrigley). Some govt. or law enforcement number Fort Pierce, FL night of 10 Sept. 2001, possibly ninth, about 8:30 pm from phone booth near Dunkin Donuts between I-95 and turnpike on Okeechobee Rd. OTHERS.
on John Gobin Shaw (not verified) wrote

More on terrorist threats preceding Buttevant and Bologna.

So, we have six months of continuous terrorist threats in which the self-proclaimed terrorists tell me repeatedly to pay special attention to the precise wordings of the threats, and they tell me 50 or 100 times to remember the word pronounced Eireann, and I assure you those figures 50-100 are not an exaggeration. Then, we have 104 people killed and 265 injured in two human slaughters, both in train stations in one 24-hour period on my line of travel, and I just happen to be in one of them and survive it, and the train company's name is Coras Iompair Eireann. I was somewhat aware the derailment was going to happen and I positioned myself in the train deliberately to increase my chances of surviving it. My surviving it was not a matter of chance or luck. The terrorists walked away free. I will tell you something else you are not able to believe, but because it is all factual I will tell you anyway. Back in 1997 I managed to obtain detailed information on the-then coming attacks of September 11, 2001. I knew exactly where they would strike, about the commandeered, fuel-laden aircraft, only approximately when, and I was aware of the people from Saudi Aabia. I told about 130 people about the attacks before they happened, and you know what, telling people about those coming attacks was about as useful as telling you all this information now, for I am sure you will generally ignore it. I did not get one iota of recognition for warning about those attacks, but politicians and media personalities in the USA and elsewhere got tons of recognition lying through their teeth about those attacks after they happened. Exactly what kind of a world is this anyway? I have written a 90-page, 54,000 word document detailing getting precise information about the coming attacks of 9-11-01 in 1997 in South Korea, and telling others about them for four years right up to and through the night of September 10, 2001 in Fort Pierce, Florida. The facts of the threats in Germany, the murderous slaughter in the derailment in Ireland, and the bomb in Bologna the following morning are mentioned in this manuscript at some length. I never did contact the FBI, CIA or other agencies in the USA about the coming attacks in Washington and New York because they had refused to do anything about Stavrinakis and Vogel back in the 1980s, and I assure you I did quite a bit back in the USA to get them questioned and brought to court, but only to be ignored for the most part. They ignored my rights and the rights, safety, and security of my children. When the situation became reversed I ignored theirs. However, I did tell about 130 people some of who were in law enforcement who ignored it all and let it go. If you all want to continue to be ignorant, go right ahead, but I assure you there will be consequences to your ignorance. I assure you I was doing nothing wrong or illegal in any way when the terrorists started making their threats. I had been some poor guy living on the streets and waking up homeless every morning in the country my ancestors had founded. I joined the army because I needed a job, and that was all. Those two bastards, Stavrinakis and Vogel, mounted a hate campaign of terrorist threats. It was fascists in the US Army who protected them from arrest and prosecution. I never threatened anyone in any way shape or form. I also noticed the duty station near Frankfurt where those bastards had been stationed was the site of a car-bomb explosion on August 8, 1985 exactly five years to the day after I returned there after surviving the mass killing in Ireland.
on John G. Shaw (not verified) wrote

Many terrorist threats before Buttevant and Bologna murders

John Gobin Shaw wrote: Many Felony Terrorist Threats Came Before Buttevant and Bologna Mass Human Slaughters. Self-admitted terrorists in contact with terrorist cells in Europe told me for six months about two terrorist slaughters "arranged and guaranteed" to happen. One would be a derailment made to look like an accident. The other would be an obvious terrorist event. They reminded me no fewer than fifty times to remember the word (phonetically) Eireann because that was the name of one of the organizations that had "arranged and guaranteed" one of the events. The felony terrorist threats were much more detailed and extensive than mentioned here. Coras Iompair Eireann admitted responsibility for the human slaughter I survived in Ireland on August 1, 1980, but only for an accident due to negligence; however, I assure you, any honest person who , if he / she had heard all the terrorist threats that came before the killings in Ireland and Bologna, would not accept without question Coras Iompair Eireann's accident-version of derailment. Dec 20, 2010 The two self-proclaimed terrorists in Frankfurt -am-Main, Germany who made all the threats were Sergeant John P. Vogel and Specialist Stavrinakis, both of the United States Army. This information is NOT meant to mislead or to libel in any way. The threats were quite specific and happened. The two mass killings happened. The terrorist threats and what happened in Buttevant, County Cork on August 1, 1980 and in Bologna, Italy August 2, 1980 were too strikingly similar to have been merely coincidental. If you had heard the threats, you would be able to follow this, exactly. Dec 20, 2010 After six months of precisely worded terrorist threats I got Specialist Stavrinakis before an informal hearing. I was trying to get witnesses and an official record of the threats. That way I would have a record of the threats if something happened later. Stavrinakis stated at the hearing that he had never made any threats. He said he had no idea what I was talking about. He lied about everything exactly like a criminal thug. What about those innocent poor people slaughtered and cut into pieces at Buttevant. Look at the people blasted apart in the train station the morning after my train was derailed. If they had survived, I think they would have known what Stavrinakis and Vogel had been threatening. Witnesses in Germany were warned not to speak out. Nobody wanted to get involved. Dec 20, 2010 I mean get real, people. I told my roommate, Jimmy Rowe, they would derail my train in Ireland three months before it happened, but only to be accused of being paranoid. Then, three months later it happened. This is all true. Do not be deceived by governments that murder with impunity. I was right there in Frankfurt and saw witnesses threatened with retaliation if they gave testimony. They assured certain retaliation against any children witnesses might have in the future. These were US Army fascists doing the threatening. They admitted having contacts with terrorist cells in Europe. #4 Mar 3, 2011 Dec 20, 2010 So, we have six months of continuous terrorist threats in which the self-proclaimed terrorists tell me repeatedly to pay special attention to the precise wordings of the threats, and they tell me 50 or 100 times to remember the word pronounced Eireann, and I assure you those figures 50-100 are not an exaggeration. Then, we have 104 people killed and 265 injured in two human slaughters, both in train stations in one 24-hour period on my line of travel, and I just happen to be in one of them and survive it, and the train company's name just happens to be Coras Iompair Eireann. I was aware the derailment was “arranged and guaranteed” to happen. I positioned myself in the train deliberately to increase my chances of surviving it. My surviving it was not a matter of chance or luck. It was by conscious effort and design that I survived it, and, there must be a God, whatever God is. #5 Mar 3, 2011 Dec 20, 2010 I will tell you something else you are not able to believe, but because it is all factual I will tell you anyway. Back in 1997 I obtained detailed information on the-then coming attacks of September 11, 2001. I knew exactly where they would strike, about the commandeered, fuel-laden aircraft, only approximately when they would be executed, and I was aware of the people from Saudi Arabia. I told about 130 people about the attacks before they happened, and you know what, telling people about those coming attacks was about as useful as telling you all this information now, for I am sure you will generally ignore it. I did not get one iota of recognition for warning about those attacks, but politicians and media personalities in the USA and elsewhere got tons of recognition lying through their teeth about those attacks after they happened. Exactly what kind of a world is this anyway? #6 Mar 3, 2011 I have written a 90-page, 54,000 word document detailing getting precise information about the coming attacks of 9-11-01 in 1997 in South Korea, and telling others about them for four years right up to and through the night of September 10, 2001 in Fort Pierce, Florida. The threats in Germany, the slaughter in the derailment in Ireland, and the bomb-massacre in Bologna the following morning are mentioned in this manuscript at some length. I did not contact the FBI, CIA or other agencies in the USA about the coming attacks in Washington and New York. They had refused to perform their sworn duties on crimes by Stavrinakis and Vogel back in the 1980s, and I assure you I did quite a bit back in the USA to try and get those two questioned and brought to court, but only to be ignored for the most part. They ignored my rights and the rights, safety, and security of my children. When the situation became reversed I ignored theirs. However, I did tell about 130 people, some of who were in law enforcement, who ignored it all and let it go. I assure you I had done nothing wrong or illegal in any way when the terrorists started making their threats. I had been poor, pennyless, living on the streets, and waking up homeless every morning in the country my ancestors had founded. I joined the army because I needed a job, and that was all. Those two ********, Stavrinakis and Vogel, mounted a hate campaign of terrorist threats. It was fascists in the US Army who protected them from arrest and prosecution. I never threatened anyone in any way shape or form. I also notice the duty station near Frankfurt where those bastards had been stationed was the site of a car-bomb explosion on August 8, 1985 exactly five years to the day after I returned there after surviving my “arranged and guaranteed to look like an accident” mass killing in Ireland. That was the car-bomb attack at Rhein Main Air Force Base. I too was stationed at RMAFB. When you read about such attacks as that one there are considerations you might want to keep in mind. People in the US military were involved in felonious, terrorist offences similar to the kinds of attacks made back against them . The US government and their military are able to conceal (cover-up) the facts of their own crimes, to highly publicise retaliatory strikes against themselves, to censor information, and to label attacks against themselves as terrorism. They use terrorism and you never hear about it. Use it back against them, and headlines across the globe scream out in large capital letters—TERRORISM. Therefore, they have the power and they win, but they are still illegal and wrong. That’s the way it goes. When you screw people around you make enemies. Quoted words in this report / article are exact expressions uttered by Stavrinakis and Vogel before the mass human slaughters in Ireland and Italy. Not after. BEFORE. I did not make any of the threats, not one. They did. How about that. John Gobin Shaw March 3, 2011 Sanaa, Yemen March 7, 2011