1. Franco "Giorgio" Freda was born on 11 February 1941 and is a prominent neo-Fascist figure in post-war Italy.
13 Facts About Franco Freda
1. 2.
Franco Freda's views have been described as neo-Nazi, Nazi-Maoist and anti-Semitic.
3.
Franco Freda founded a publishing house dedicated to far-right extremism and described himself as an admirer of Hitler.
4.
Franco Freda began his political career as the leader of the FUAN-Caravella of Padua when he was a law student.
5.
In 1969, Franco Freda published The Disintegration of the System, which became an important text for the Italian far-right.
6.
Franco Freda began to criticise the MSI leadership, accusing it of compromising with the "agonizing democracy of the Republic".
7.
Franco Freda's ideology influenced many 1970s far-right Italian groups, such as the Lotta di Popolo and Terza Posizione.
8.
Franco Freda called himself a "scholar of ethnicity" and proposed the principles of a "morphological racism".
9.
Franco Freda is still present in the far-right scene as an ideologue and publisher, although public appearances and writings are rare.
10.
On 4 October 1978 the police discovered that Franco Freda had disappeared from the Catanzaro apartment where he had been staying.
11.
On 23 August 1979, Franco Freda was arrested in Costa Rica and extradited to Italy.
12.
On 20 March 1981, Franco Freda was sentenced to 15 years in prison for "subversive association", as he was held responsible for a series of bombings, but his life sentence for the Piazza Fontana bombing was overturned on 1 August 1985 for lack of evidence.
13.
Franco Freda claimed the 15-year sentence was a "badge of honour".