Er Pelliccia

Submission 45,852

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About

Er Pelliccia (The Fur) is the nickname given to Fabrizio Filippi, a 24 year old Italian man who threw a fire extinguisher at police during the Occupy Rome protests on October 15th, 2011.

Origin

The photo was taken by an AP photographer covering the Occupy Rome riots. Filippi was caught mid throw in several images^[1]^[2], but one in particular of him twisting his body in an awkward position was shared on several Italian news sites.^[3] It was suggested that he was a member of the "Black bloc"^[4], a controversial group of extreme left-wing/anarchist activists who often appear during riots, strikes or other major events in Italy. They are known for fighting against the police, raiding shops, vandalizing property and other seemingly random acts of chaos.

Identity

After the image went viral, people sought out Filippi's identity on the web. Filippi was tracked down via his profile on the Italian dating site Badoo^[5], where he was recognized by a bracelet and wrist tattoo from the protest photo. His Facebook^[6] profile, where he posted that he hated the state and listed Jack the Ripper as a personal inspiration, was also shared by news sites.

According to his father^[7], Filippi told his parents he was going to the University on Saturday morning and they were unaware he was actually going to attend the protests.