Il 19 July 1992 it is a date that Italy will never forget. On that Sunday thirty-two years ago, Paolo Borsellino, one of the symbolic magistrates in the fight against the mafia, together with five agents of his escort – Agostino Catalano, Emanuela Loi (the first woman to be part of an escort), Vincenzo Li Muli, Walter Eddie Cosina and Claudio Traina – lost his life in the Via D'Amelio massacre in Palermo. The only survivor was officer Antonino Vullo, who was parking one of the escort cars at the time of the explosion.
Was a cowardly and bloody mafia attack which left an indelible mark on the history of Italy. Paolo Borsellino was the victim of a bomb attack in his own city, a tragedy that only occurred two months after the assassination of Giovanni Falcone in Capaci. Their deaths have left a deep and irreparable void in Italian society, marking a point of no return in the state's war against Cosa Nostra.
Borsellino's death triggered a massive wave of indignation and protests across the country, with thousands of citizens taking to the streets of Palermo to demand justice and firmly condemn the presence of the mafia in the Italian social fabric.
The bomb season in Italy
The massacre in Via D'Amelio is part of a turbulent period in Italy, known as the “bomb season“, between 1992 and 1993. Characterized by a series of terrorist attacks Orchestrated by the Sicilian Mafia, this period saw the use of car bombs aimed not only at magistrates such as Falcone and Borsellino, but also at members of the police force, politicians and journalists. The objective of these attacks was destabilize the Italian state and influence its policies through fear and violence.
Il period began with the assassination of judge Falcone, which occurred on 23 May 1992 in Capaci, followed just two months later by the death of Paolo Borsellino. Two murders that were a direct response to their incisive anti-mafia investigations. These attacks provoked an unprecedented reaction by the state, including the establishment of the harsh prison regime for mafia-linked prisoners and the sending of military troops to Sicily to strengthen security. The fight against organized crime intensified, leading toarrest of Salvatore Riina, head of Cosa Nostra, during Operation Sicilian Vespers.
Paolo Borsellino's fears before the attack
Paolo Borsellino, yes aware of the risks he ran due to his commitment against the mafia, he lived under the constant threat of criminal organizations. After the killing of Giovanni Falcone, the judge knew he was a clear target of Cosa Nostra, a "sentenced to death" as he had declared a few days before the attack. Despite this, he continued undaunted in his mission, driven by his firm belief in justice and duty towards Italian society.
The attack on Borsellino was meticulously prepared in July 1992 by members of Cosa Nostra. Giuseppe Graviano and other members of the Mafia carried out inspections in Palermo, procured a car to use as a bomb, and remote controls and transmitters for the detonator were organised. Raffaele Ganci, involved in the shadowing, made sure that everything was ready for the day of the attack.
19 July 1992: the massacre in Via d'Amelio
The 19 July 1992, it was the appointed day for the attack. After a morning spent with his family in Villagrazia di Carini together with his wife Agnese and his children Manfredi and Lucia, Borsellino headed to Palermo accompanied by his escort. At 16: 58, as he approached the mother's house in Via D'Amelio, Fiat 126 loaded with explosives detonated, killing both the magistrate and the five officers of his escort present.
People Antonino Vullo, the sole survivor, described the horror of the explosion in these terms: “The judge and my colleagues had already gotten out of the cars, I remained driving, I was maneuvering, I was parking the car that was at the head of the procession. I heard no noise, nothing suspicious, absolutely nothing. Suddenly it was hell. I saw a big blaze, I heard the armored car bounce. The shock wave threw me from my seat. I don't know how I got out of the car. Around me there were shreds of human flesh scattered everywhere…".
The attack shocked not only the city, but the whole of Italy. The magistrate's embittered comment was particularly significant Antonino Caponnetto, who, after seeing Borsellino's body, desperately declared to the cameras: "It's all over!” while shaking hands with Rai journalist Gianfranco D'Anna.
The Italian government responded with the decree-law “Operation Sicilian Vespers”, which authorized the sending of military troops to Sicily and the establishment of a harsh prison regime for mafia prisoners.
The funeral with the cry of "out with the mafia from the state"
I funeral of the five escort officers of Borsellino were held on 21 July 1992 in the Cathedral of Palermo, marked by a massive participation and vehement protests against the mafia and the inefficiency of the State in protecting its citizens, shouting "the mafia out of the state".
A few days later, on July 24, the private funerals by Paolo Borsellino in the church of Santa Maria Luisa de Marillac, an unadorned and peripheral ceremony chosen by the judge's family. Borsellino's wife, Agnese, he refused the state rite, accusing the government of failing to protect her husband. However, around 10 thousand people participated. L'funeral oration was pronounced by Caponnetto, the judge who had worked with Falcone and Borsellino, who encouraged everyone to continue the fight against the mafia: "Dear Paolo, the struggle you supported must become and will become the struggle of each of us".
A year after the massacre, Maria Pia Lepanto, mother of judge Borsellino, planted a olive tree coming from Bethlehem in the crater of via D'Amelio as a symbol of peace and justice.
Investigations and trials
The investigations into the Via D'Amelio massacre were initially confusing, but over the years several members of Cosa Nostra were ppunished and condemned. The investigations also brought to light the suspicion of a possible connection between the State-mafia negotiation, later denied by facts and judicial sentences, and the attack in Borsellino, fueling controversies on "collusions" between politics and organized crime in Italy.
The “Borsellino uno” trial began in 1994 with Salvatore Candura and Vincenzo Scarantino arrested for the theft of the car used in the attack. Scarantino accused members of the local mafia, including Salvatore Profeta. In 1996, Profeta, Giuseppe Orofino and Pietro Scotto were convicted, but the sentences were modified on appeal in 1999. The “Borsellino bis” trial of 1996 led to further convictions in 2002, confirmed in 2003, while the “Borsellino ter” trial of 1998 convicted other Cosa Nostra members in 1999 and on appeal in 2002. In 2008, Gaspare Spatuzza collaborated, leading to new investigations and convictions in the “Borsellino quater” trial in 2017 and 2019, with Scarantino benefiting from the statute of limitations.
Several authors have spoken of the Via D'Amelio massacre as a "state massacre". Salvatore Borsellino, Paolo's brother, declared: “What was done was precisely to try to pass off the murder of Paolo and those boys who died in Via D'Amelio as a mafia massacre. […] They put a few people in prison – among other things convicted for other reasons and for other massacres – and in this way they believe they have put a tombstone on the subject. […] What we try in every way to make people understand […] is that this is a state massacre, nothing more than a state massacre".
The Red Agenda Movement: A Commitment to Truth and Justice
One of the most controversial aspects linked to the death of Paolo Borsellino is the disappearance of his red agenda, in which he noted confidential information and personal reflections. After the attack, theagenda mysteriously disappeared from his bag, raising suspicions and questions that have never been resolved. This lack has fueled theories of conspiracy and misdirection and has led to birth of the Red Agenda Movement.
Founded by Salvatore Borsellino on 15 July 2007 with the letter "19 July 1992: a state massacre", the Movement fights for the truth about the massacre of via D'Amelio and for transparency in institutions. Denouncing a non-belligerence agreement between parts of the State and Cosa Nostra, asks for answers on Paolo Borsellino's security omissions and institutional contacts before his death. The Movement organizes demonstrations, meetings and debates to keep attention high on the fight against the mafia and to demand justice for the victims of Cosa Nostra. It supports institutions in the search for truth on the instigators of the massacre, and promotes "Civic escorts" to protect magistrates, police forces and journalists engaged in the fight against organized crime. Every year, on 19 July, the members meet in Palermo to commemorate the victims and reiterate the demand for justice.
The legacy of Paolo Borsellino
Thirty-two years after his death, Paolo Borsellino remains a symbol of courage and determination in the fight against the mafia. His sacrifice inspired generations of Italians to defend the values of justice and legality, despite challenges and threats. Borsellino's commitment remains one beacon of hope for an Italy free from corruption and illegality.
