The Italian Autonomy and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP): Anatomy of a Transnational Connection

The international ties of Italian revolutionary groups are conventionally underplayed and portrayed in terms of smuggling of weapons or generic solidarity by sympathizers. In contrast, this paper proposes an in-depth investigation into the complex relationship between the Autonomy–a violence-prone New Left cluster–and the PFLP–a Palestinian terrorist organisation inspired by Marxism-Leninism. This research, based on historical sources, judicial documents, and oral testimonies, demonstrates the extent to which this connection was stable and far-reaching. Therefore, the investigation sheds light on the mutual benefits of such bond: a) on the Italian side, the legitimation of autonomous violence as a people’s struggle and its belonging to a transnational cause, b) on the Palestinian side, the logistic support offered by autonomous militants, coupled with the judiciary quasi-immunity granted to Arab terrorists by the Italian government. The research also offers theoretical insights, by focusing on the radicalizing effect of this kind of relationship.