Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) (in Italian: Federazione Anarchica Informale), not to be confused with the Italian Anarchist Federation (also FAI) is an Italian insurrectionary anarchist organization.[1] It has been described by Italian intelligence sources as a "horizontal" structure of various anarchist terrorist groups, united in their beliefs in revolutionary armed action. Groups comprising the FAI act both as separate organizations and also under the FAI, and are known to format group campaigns.
Their ideology is opposed to both the current European order and Marxism, which they see as solely a replacement of one form of oppressive authority with another.
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The organization is composed by the following groups:[2]
These groups represent factions of the FAI. Beyond the organization, each group has also forged its own set of alliances.[1] The New Red Brigades/Communist Combatant Party is an allied of the FAI. Collaboration between these anarchist groups and more established Marxist groups, essentially in opposition to the principles of the FAI, have been a subject of debate in both anarchist circles and within the Italian security community. These claims have been supported with claims of solidarity between the FAI and the newest incarnations of the Red Brigades.
In 2003, the group claimed responsibility for a bomb campaign targeting several European Union institutions.[3][4] It had stated to target "the apparatus of control that is repressive and leading the democratic show that is the new European order". To address the situation, an order was issued to halt all packets addressed to EU bodies from post offices in the Emilia-Romagna region.[5] Sources at the prosecutor's office in Bologna said that the packages mailed to Trichet, Europol and Eurojust contained books and photocopies of a leaflet from the Informal Anarchist Federation.[4] The leaflet described the Italian group and talked about its "Operation Santa Claus." After the December attack on the Italian politician Romano Prodi, the FAI sent a letter to La Repubblica newspaper saying it was opposed to the European Union and claiming the attack was carried out "so the pig knows that the maneuvers have only begun to get close to him and others like him."[6]
The MEP Nigel Farage said his party had predicted 10 years ago the path the EU was taking could end in civil unrest. He classified the letter bombs as the "price of forcing a political ideal on people". Speaking the day after Mr Titley's wife suffered the attack, Mr Farage said: "We can only hope that the EU comes to its senses and listens to the people." Mr Titley reacted, saying: "I think it's outrageous to make a cheap political point out of a terrorist act. I am almost speechless with anger. I can't believe that they have done this - it is justifying terrorism and that's despicable."[7]
In 2010, Italy’s postal service intercepted a threatening letter containing a bullet addressed to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.[8] A large envelope containing a letter addressed to Berlusconi with the threat “you will end up like a rat” was discovered on Friday in a post office in the Libate suburb of the northern city of Milan. On 23 December 2010, credit for exploding parcels delivered to the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome was claimed by the Informal Anarchist Federation,[9] through many news sources erroneously reported that another group, the Italian Anarchist Federation, claimed responsibility for the mail bombs.[10]
On 31 March 2011, a mail bomb exploded at the Olten headquarters of Swissnuclear, the Swiss nuclear industry association, wounding two people. According to prosecutors, a letter delivered with the bomb claimed responsibility on behalf of the IAF.[11]
A mail bomb, sent to Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, in Frankfurt am Main, was intercepted on 7 December 2011.[12]