The Opposition

A considerable number of moons have lit the stark ruins of the Coliseum at Rome since the Socialist members boycotted the Chamber of Deputies and established headquarters on the Aventine Hill (TIME, Jan. 19).

The abstention of the Socialist Deputies from the Chamber proceedings merely aggravated a state of enmity between them and the Fascisti; and, with lack of constraint on both sides, it is nothing short of a wonder that more blood has not flowed sideways through perforated veins.

Deputy Giovanni Amendola, leader of the Aventine Opposition, took it into his head last week to take the waters at Montecatini, near Lucca in Tuscany. But it never occurred to him that that section of Tuscany was homogeneously Fascist. Not long after he had entered the hotel, swarms of Black Shirts scooted down the mountains, congregated before Signor Amendola's hotel, groaned, booed, hissed. Finding little satisfaction in this, the crowd began to surge backward and forward, like a busy battering ram, in an effort to break the police cordons thrown round the building. Eventually several Fascisti dashed by the police, entered the hotel, chased Signor Amendola up to his bedroom on the fourth floor where he locked himself in. His secretary received a black eye for being heavy of foot and stiff of limb. At this point, Fascist Deputies prevented further insurrection by urging the local Black Shirts to remain calm and Signor Amendola to leave town.

In a car, accompanied by his secretary and two guardian Fascisti for safety, Deputy Giovanni Amendola left Montecatini for the nearby town of Pistoja amid a bombardment of sibilant Italian hisses. In the open country two automobiles barred the road. The Amendola car stopped, instantly the party was set upon by about 15 stalwart Fascisti and soundly clubbed. At Pistoja, a few minutes later, the Deputy was found to be suffering from shock, numerous contusions and some nasty cuts. Nothing dangerous developed and he was shipped back to his home in Rome.

The day following, Deputy Roberto Farinacci, Secretary General of the Fascisti, told a cheering audience in Naples that he could not deplore the attack on Signor Amendola. "It is time," said he, "anti-Fascisti should know that this comedy cannot last longer." This "comedy" was attacking the Fascist Party.

The Popolo d'ltalia, Mussolini's organ, was longer-winded:

"We declare that we deplore the violence against Amendola. ... If Amendola proudly declares that he always opposed Fascismo, nothing is more natural than that some one would cross his path."

The paper continued by asking that, if the Fascisti do not represent the bulk of Italians, and if they are hated by them as the Opposition claims, how it was that nobody lifted a finger to help Amendola ? "Must one believe," it went on, "that the Opposition is suffering from a bad case of collective cowardice?"

Except for President of the Chamber of Deputies Caseratano's calling at the Amendola house to express the sympathy of Parliament, official circles ignored the incident.