LABOR SONG OF THE WEEK: Bella Ciao
Chris Garlock | Published on 9/17/2025
Thousands of people from the "movimento delle Sardine" ("Sardines movement") sing “Bella Ciao” in 2019 as a protest against some right-wing political parties. "Bella Ciao", an anti-Nazi and anti-fascist Italian folk song dedicated to the partisans of the Italian resistance, who fought against the occupying troops of Nazi Germany and the collaborationist Fascist forces during the liberation of Italy. While the song’s exact origins are unknown, it’s thought to be based on a folk song of the late 19th century, sung by female workers of the paddy fields in Northern Italy in protest against harsh working conditions. Versions of Bella ciao continue to be sung worldwide as a hymn of resistance against injustice and oppression.