#History which repeats itself.
On 24 October 1990, the Italian government publicly confirmed revelations exposing Operation Gladio, a grouping of Western anti-#communist intelligence agencies set up in collaboration with the #US Central Intelligence Agency and British intelligence.
These agencies, working with and funding neo-fascists, took part in a variety of sensational kidnappings, murders and bombings designed to appear as the work of anarchists and left-wing groups.
The secrecy of Gladio began to unravel after the discovery of weapons depots in north-eastern Italy near the border with #Yugoslavia.
On August 3, 1990 prime minister Giulio Andreotti was forced to confirm to government officials that a secret army existed in Italy and other countries in Western #Europe. On October 24, Andreotti told Parliament: "The structure did exist and does exist” publicly confirming that Operation Gladio was fact, rather than conspiracy theory.
#Gladio established networks in countries including #Germany, #France, the #Netherlands, #Greece, #Luxembourg, Italy, #Belgium, #Norway, #Portugal, #Spain, #Austria, #Turkey, #Denmark, the #UK, #Switzerland, #Sweden.
Purportedly the operation was set up to counter potential Soviet invasion. But secret documents released in 1990 showed that in reality its primary concern was controlling the working class, to "counter street demonstrations, handl[e] nationwide strikes and any internal uprising", and "fill the streets, creating a situation of such tension as to require #military intervention".
Attacks which took place by fascists supported by the security services killed dozens of people and injured hundreds. These include the #Bologna train station bombing of 1980, which killed 85 people, the Atocha massacre in #Madrid in 1977, which killed five, and the Milan bank bombing, which killed 17, after which anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli was arrested and most likely killed by police.
Multiple murders were also credibly linked to Gladio, including the assassination of Belgian Communist Party leader Julien Lahaut, as were multiple coup attempts, including both in #Belgium and #Italy in the 1970s.
https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9693/Italian-government-admits-Operation-Gladio
It's not mentioned above but this was a structure of #NATO.
