COUNTER-REVOLUTION 115
a fascist storm centre. On the syth a bomb was thrown at
a procession of fascists, who killed a communist leader,
Lavagnini, that evening. The next day there was a general
strike, fighting, and barricades in the working-class quarter
of San Frediano. A young fascist, Berta, the son of a
manufacturer, ran into a group of rioters who stabbed him
and threw his body into the Arno. In the suburbs the
workers threw up barricades to defend the headquarters of
their societies. At Scandicci carabinieri and fascists were
met with bullets and bombs and forced to retire, leaving
their lorry, which was set on fire. They returned to the
attack :
e On the bridge which leads into the district the first
barricades were met with. The chief of police gave the
order to fire. With the aid of artillery and armoured cars
they broke down the barricades and damaged the bridge.
After thus succeeding in getting into the quarter they
brought up field-guns against the People's House and
partly demolished it.5
Then, finding their way open, the fascists c attacked the
town hall and triumphantly carried off arms and red flags
to Florence.5 Machine-guns were used by the bersaglieri
at Bagno a Ripoli; a field-gun was brought into action at
the Oema bridge. Violent riots broke out in all working-
class neighbourhoods. Soldiers and police were cheered
by crowds as they returned from their raids ; but the
workers everywhere were becoming angry and frightened,
and this made their guns go off by themselves. They
developed a persecution complex which in some places
drove them like hunted beasts into acts of unprecedented
violence. Thus when at Empoli, near Florence, some
fascists were reported to be approaching, the whole neigh-
bourhood rose in arms. When a couple of lorries reached
the first houses they were overwhelmed by rifle-fire from
all round ; tiles were rained on them from roofs, pots, and
other missiles from windows, The invaders were merely
naval mechanics in civilian clothes on their way to Florence
to take the place of railwaymen on strike. One lorry was