Independence movements

History of Sicilian separatism and special autonomy

From the founding of the Movement for the Independence of Sicily in 1943 and its brief armed campaign, through the 1946 Statute of Autonomy granted in response, to the movement's 1947 electoral peak, its 1951 decline, and its 2004 revival.

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The Movement for the Independence of Sicily

The Movement for the Independence of Sicily (MIS) was founded on 10 July 1943, emerging from a Committee for the Independence of Sicily established in September 1942, seeking Sicilian independence and drawing inspiration from the medieval Sicilian Vespers.[1]

At an autumn 1944 congress in Taormina, radical members pushed the movement toward armed struggle, forming the Volunteer Army for the Independence of Sicily (EVIS). On 17 June 1945, EVIS leader Antonio Canepa was killed in a clash with Italian Carabinieri near Randazzo, along with two companions, prompting the Italian government to deploy troops to the island.[2]

The 1946 Statute of Sicily

In response to the separatist unrest, including a clash provoked by the 1944 Via Maqueda massacre, the Statute of Sicily was issued by royal legislative decree of King Umberto II on 15 May 1946, as the Italian state sought to defuse the movement by granting substantial autonomy.[3][4] It was converted into Constitutional Law No. 2 by the Italian Parliament on 26 February 1948, incorporating it into the Constitution of the Italian Republic.[5]

The Statute grants Sicily exclusive legislative competence over agriculture, fisheries, tourism, forestry, local authorities, cultural heritage and the environment, financial autonomy retaining locally collected taxes, and the transfer of most state property; it also established the Sicilian Regional Assembly, Executive and President, with a High Court in Rome reviewing regional legislation's constitutionality.[6][7]

· Constitutional change

Statute of Sicily, 1946

A special autonomy statute was granted to Sicily by royal decree, later incorporated into the Italian Constitution, to defuse separatist unrest.

The MIS's electoral peak and decline

At the 1947 Sicilian regional election, the MIS achieved its strongest result: 171,470 votes (8.8%) and around eight seats.[8] The movement lost momentum after the 1948 Italian general election, and following the 1951 Sicilian regional election its founder Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile and several other members resigned; the party entered a hiatus and, though never formally disbanded, ceased meaningful activity.[9]

The 2004 revival

A new Movement for the Independence of Sicily, founded in 2004, presents itself as a separatist cultural movement seeking Sicilian independence from Italy, drawing on the legacy of the original 1943 MIS.[10]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: The Movement for the Independence of Sicily (MIS) was founded on 10 July 1943, emerging from a Committee for the Independence of Sicily established in September 1942, seeking Sicilian independence and drawing inspiration from the medieval Sicilian Vespers.

    • Movement for the Independence of Sicily (Wikipedia) link, Founding section. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: At a autumn 1944 congress in Taormina, radical MIS members pushed for armed struggle, forming the Volunteer Army for the Independence of Sicily (EVIS); on 17 June 1945, its leader Antonio Canepa was killed in a clash with Italian Carabinieri near Randazzo, along with two companions, prompting the Italian government to deploy troops to the island.

    • Movement for the Independence of Sicily (Wikipedia) link, EVIS section. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: The Statute of Sicily was issued by royal legislative decree of King Umberto II on 15 May 1946.

  4. 4.

    Claim: The Statute followed a period of separatist unrest, including a clash provoked by the 1944 Via Maqueda massacre, as the Italian state sought to defuse the Sicilian separatist movement by granting substantial autonomy.

  5. 5.

    Claim: The Statute was converted into Constitutional Law No. 2 by the Italian Parliament on 26 February 1948, incorporating it into the Constitution of the Italian Republic.

  6. 6.

    Claim: The Statute grants Sicily exclusive legislative competence over areas including agriculture, fisheries, tourism, forestry, local authorities, cultural heritage and the environment, financial autonomy under which taxes collected in Sicily remain with the region, and the transfer of state property and assets other than those relating to national defence or services of national character.

  7. 7.

    Claim: The Statute established the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the Regional Executive (Junta) and the Regional President, along with a High Court in Rome to review the constitutionality of regional legislation.

  8. 8.

    Claim: At the 1947 Sicilian regional election, the MIS achieved its strongest result: 171,470 votes (8.8%) and eight or nine regional deputies.

    • Movement for the Independence of Sicily (Wikipedia) link, 1947 election results. Source record
  9. 9.

    Claim: The MIS lost momentum after the 1948 Italian general election, and following the 1951 Sicilian regional election its founder Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile and several other members resigned; the party entered a hiatus and, though never formally disbanded, ceased meaningful activity.

    • Movement for the Independence of Sicily (Wikipedia) link, Decline section. Source record
  10. 10.

    Claim: A new Movement for the Independence of Sicily, founded in 2004, presents itself as a separatist cultural movement seeking Sicilian independence from Italy, drawing on the legacy of the original 1943 MIS founded by Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile.

    • Movement for the Independence of Sicily (2004) (Wikipedia) link, lead section. Source record

Source note

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/sicily/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.