In 1977 the city of Bologna was the scene of violent street clashes. In particular, on 11 March a militant of the far-left organization "Lotta Continua", Francesco Lorusso, was killed by a gunshot to the back (probably fired by a policeman), when police dispersed protesters against a mass meeting of Communion and Liberation, which was being held that morning at the University. This event served as a detonator for a long series of clashes with security forces for two days, which affected the entire city of Bologna.