Bava Beccaris massacre
| Bava Beccaris massacre | |
|---|---|
Barricades of the rioters and intervention of the military, Milan 1898 | |
| Location | 45°28′4″N 9°12′25″E / 45.46778°N 9.20694°E Milan, Italy |
| Date | 6–10 May 1898 |
| Target | Demonstrators against rising food prices |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths |
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| Injured |
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| Perpetrators | Royal Italian Army |
| Motive | Repression of food price demonstrations and riots after a steep increase of wheat prices |
The Bava Beccaris massacre, named after the Italian general Fiorenzo Bava Beccaris, was the repression of widespread food riots in Milan, Italy, on 6–10 May 1898. In Italy the suppression of these demonstrations is also known as Fatti di Maggio (transl. Events of May) or I Moti di Milano del 1898 (transl. 1898 Milan Riots). Between 80 and 400 demonstrators were killed, as well as two soldiers, and between 450 and 2,000 were wounded.
The overreaction of the military led to the fall of Antonio di Rudinì's government in July 1898 and created a constitutional crisis, strengthening the opposition. The events of May marked a height of popular discontent with government, the military and the monarchy.