Davide “Dax” Cesare Murdered (2003)

Sun Mar 16, 2003

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Image: Graffiti reading “Dax odia ancora” (Dax still hates) in the Kreuzberg district, Berlin (2010)

On this day in 2003, Italian anti-fascist Davide “Dax” Cesare was stabbed to death by two fascist brothers in Milan.

Cesare was brought to the hospital, but died in the ambulance. Immediately after Cesare’s death, his comrades tried to enter the hospital but were blocked by the police, leading to riots that left several injured.

Despite the Italian media initially portraying the violence as a “riot between young dissidents” and the murder as “a consequence of anti-globalization violence”, the trial uncovered that the fascist brothers, Federico Morbi and Mattia Morbi, had killed him with premeditation. Federico was sentenced to 16 years in jail, while Mattia (who was a minor at the time) was sentenced to 3 years.

A plaque has been placed in Via Brioschi, the street of Milan where he was killed. Graffiti in memory of Dax have become common in Milan and elsewhere, often reading “Dax vive” (English: “Dax lives”) or “Dax odia ancora” (English: “Dax still hates”).