Francesco Fantin

Francesco Fantin was an Italian anti-fascist activist who emigrated to Australia in 1924 and found work in Queensland as a cane cutter. He remained politically active as an anti-fascist organiser and fundraiser. In 1942 he was placed in a World War II internment camp where he was killed under suspicious circumstances. His killer, Giovanni Casotti, was ultimately convicted of manslaughter, but stood informally accused of murder by Communists who considered Fantin an ally, and an enemy of both Mussolini and Hitler. His death became the subject of a bilingual play written by Teresa Crea, entitled "Red Like the Devil." It was performed in 1991 by Adelaide-based theatre company, Doppio Teatro. Performances were staged at Loveday, near Barmera, where Fantin was interned and died.