Editing Francesco Cossiga (section)

===1977 protests and riots===
{{main|Movement of 1977}}
[[File:Bologna riots in 1977.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Armoured personnel carrier|Armored vehicle]] in the university area of [[Bologna]].]]
In 1977 the city of [[Bologna]] was the scene of violent street clashes. In particular, on 11 March a militant of the far-left organization ''[[Lotta Continua]]'', [[Francesco Lorusso]], was killed by a gunshot to the back (probably fired by a policeman), when police dispersed protesters against a mass meeting of [[Communion and Liberation]], which was being held that morning at [[University of Bologna|the university]]. This event served as a detonator for a long series of clashes with [[Polizia di Stato|security forces]] for two days, which affected the entire city of Bologna.<ref>Gino Moliterno, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6vVS_Y1mcIEC&pg=PA800 Encyclopedia of contemporary Italian culture]'' (annotated), CRC Press, 2000, {{ISBN|978-0-415-14584-8}}, p 800</ref> Cossiga sent [[Armoured personnel carrier| armoured vehicle]]s into the university area and other hot spots of the city to quell what he perceived as [[guerrilla warfare]]. Clashes with the police caused numerous casualties among people who got caught up in the riots, including uninvolved locals. No old leftist party, except the Youth Socialist Federation, led by local secretary Emilio Lonardo, participated at the funeral of the student Lorusso, showing the dramatic split between the movement and the historical left parties.

[[Turin]] was also the scene of bloody clashes and attacks. On 1 October 1977, after a procession had started with an attack on the headquarters of the [[Italian Social Movement]] (MSI), a group of militants of ''Lotta Continua'' reached a downtown bar, ''L'angelo azzurro'' (The Blue Angel), frequented by young right-wing activists. They threw two [[Molotov cocktail]]s, and Roberto Crescenzio, a totally apolitical student, died of burns. The perpetrators of the murder were never identified. ''Lotta Continua'' leader Silvio Viale called it a "tragic accident".

Another innocent victim of the riots of that year was [[Death of Giorgiana Masi|Giorgiana Masi]], who was killed in [[Rome]] by a gunshot during an event organized by the [[Radical Party (Italy)|Radical Party]] to celebrate the third anniversary of the victory in the referendum on divorce. As the perpetrators of the murder remained unknown, the movement attributed the responsibility of the crime to police officers in plain clothes, who were immortalized at that time dressed in clothing of the style of young people of the movement.