Was the Sicilian Bandit Giuliano a Folk Hero?

 In 1970 I read Mario Puzo’s book “The Godfather.”  As I recall, it was a well written and told story about the Sicilian Mafia.  When it was made into a movie, I saw it.  That was the last gangster movie I’ve ever seen. Although it was well made, I found the story troubling.  This type of movie genre became the rage of its day.  I’ve never understood why people like such gruesome stories.  I do not enjoy watching criminals commit their deeds; it was offensive to me.  Personally, I’ve had to endure many slights about my heritage because of the Mafia.  Seems that most people only know one thing about Sicily, the mafia.  This is akin to saying that if you were to describe Los Angeles you would say that the MS-13 Gang is its most important feature. It is stupid beyond belief.  Sicily has a glorious and tortured history going back more than 3,000 years.

In my morning Kaffeeklatsch with three other men, I often hear from one of them how much he loves some Netflix shows like “Breaking Bad” about criminals doing their stuff.  Recently I joined a Facebook group about people who are of Sicilian heritage, since I am one. Most posts are just silly stuff about people promoting their heritage.  A few days ago, I saw a post on the Sicilian group that was tasteless and a bit troubling.  The post was a love-in about the 1940s Sicilian bandit, Salvatore Giuliano.  Most comments were from people telling how their grandmother, uncle or other family member told them of how much Giuliano was so admired and loved by his fellow Sicilians.  One person called Giuliano a great man. I posted a short comment stating that Giuliano was a bandit and no hero.  One person responded by asking if I knew history or was he not right because he heard it from his grandmother who lived at the time of Giuliano. Well, here we go again.  Most people have no clue of history.

 

It is true that Salvatore Giuliano was very popular in Sicily and had a large following, but if that is the measure of a man, we’re in trouble.  Giuliano was a vicious killer, thief and robber.  He was an anti-authority rebel. He and his gang murdered over 100 police officers during his seven-year reign of terror.  It is estimated that he had about 600 men join his gang: a small army.  Indeed, he kept the authorities at bay for seven years, until he was shot to death in 1950 by one of his own men.  Giuliano terrorized the community with kidnapping, extortion and murder.  He cooperated with the Sicilian Mafia in his misdeeds.  He was a charismatic figure who was adept at manipulating the population. He got his start in 1943 right at the time of the American invasion of Sicily in July 1943; three months before I was born in Sicily. In May of 1947, Giuliano and his gang attacked a group of people gathered for May Day festivities at Portella della Ginestra near the town of Piana degli Albanese, by opening fire on the crowd and killing 11 people and wounding 27 others.

 

His criminal activity was centered in black market food smuggling in the aftermath of the total breakdown of civil authority after Italy’s defeat in World War II, when the law was anyone with a gun. In situations such as these the local populace has no choice but to be very careful with such criminals. So, it is easy to understand why so many people followed him like a cult figure. For an excellent summary of Giuliano’s history click here.

 

As mentioned earlier, I find people’s fascination with criminals a puzzle.  Why are such shows as “Breaking Bad” and “The Sopranos” so popular?  Would you like these criminals if you were the victim of their crimes?  This question is, perhaps, the subject of a psychology book.

 

So, was Giuliano a folk hero?  Depends on how you define a folk hero.  Was Billy the Kid a folk hero?  John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde or Whitey Bulger?  How about the Night Stalker of Los Angeles?