# Er Pelliccia > Er Pelliccia is a 2011 Italian photoshop exploitable of shirtless rioter Fabrizio Filippi mid-throw of a fire extinguisher during Rome's Occupy riots, spawning countless forum edits. Er Pelliccia is a photoshop meme based on an iconic press photo of Fabrizio Filippi, a 24-year-old Italian man captured mid-throw while hurling a fire extinguisher at police during the Occupy Rome riots on October 15, 2011. The image of Filippi, shirtless and masked, twisting his body in an awkward athletic pose beside a burning car, spread across Italian news sites and quickly became fodder for photoshop edits on Italian forums and Facebook pages. ## Origin The Occupy Rome march on October 15, 2011 was intended as a peaceful demonstration by the "Indignati" (Indignant) movement, but it spiraled into violent clashes in Piazza San Giovanni[1]. An Associated Press photographer covering the riots caught Filippi in several frames mid-throw, but one particular shot stood out: Filippi twisting his entire body beside a burning car, red fire extinguisher in the air[4]. The image ran across Italian news sites and front pages within hours. Filippi was tracked down within days. Il Giornale reported that their readers helped identify the masked protester[2]. He was recognized by a tattoo on his left side bearing a line from an English song ("Despite all the hate your world was shaped with, my love will continue to live") and a distinctive bracelet, both visible in the protest photos[2]. His profile on the Italian dating site Badoo, where he posted romantic messages and a photo captioned "I'd like a passionate relationship with a girl," confirmed his identity[1]. His Facebook page, where he listed Jack the Ripper as a personal inspiration and posted anti-state sentiments, was also uncovered[4]. His father told reporters he believed Fabrizio had left for university that Saturday morning and was shocked to see his son's photo associated with the riots[1]. - **Platform:** AP news photography (source photo), Italian gaming forum NGI / Facebook (meme spread) - **Creator:** AP photographer (uncredited, original photo), Italian NGI forum users (photoshop edits) - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview Er Pelliccia (Roman dialect for "The Fur") is the street nickname of Fabrizio Filippi, a psychology student from Bassano Romano in the province of Viterbo[1]. During the October 15, 2011 Occupy Rome protest in Piazza San Giovanni, which devolved into urban guerrilla warfare, a press photographer captured Filippi shirtless and face-covered, twisting his body into a dramatic pose while launching a fire extinguisher toward riot police[2]. The awkward, almost athletic stance in the photo made it ripe for photoshop remixes, and Italian internet communities quickly turned it into an exploitable template. ## How It Spread The Italian gaming forum NGI was the first community to start photoshopping the Er Pelliccia image on October 18, 2011, just three days after the protest[4]. Forum users cut Filippi's distinctive mid-throw pose from the original photo and placed him into absurd contexts, treating the image as an exploitable template. The Facebook page "Il Meglio Di Internet" soon collected these edits into a gallery that picked up nearly 1,000 likes[4]. The meme spread primarily within Italian internet communities, where the combination of Filippi's dramatic pose, the absurdity of his dating profile being exposed, and the contrast between "Er Pelliccia, romantic tennis player" and "Er Pelliccia, fire extinguisher thrower" gave the meme multiple angles to work with. Italian media coverage kept the story alive. Filippi was arrested in late October 2011 after being identified by a police official who had been near the trajectory of the thrown extinguisher[1]. He spent 23 days in prison at Regina Coeli before being released with an obligation to report to authorities three times per week[3]. His lawyer argued that Filippi had reached "an adequate level of awareness" and showed remorse[3]. ## How to Use The Er Pelliccia format typically involves cutting Filippi's twisted mid-throw pose from the original photo and pasting it into unrelated contexts. Common approaches include: 1. Place Filippi's pose into famous paintings, movie scenes, or sports events 2. Replace the fire extinguisher with other objects 3. Position him alongside other meme characters or pop culture figures ## Cultural Impact The Er Pelliccia case became a flashpoint in Italian political debate about the Occupy protests. Commenters on Italian news sites were split: some condemned Filippi as a reckless vandal, while others pointed fingers at the government, arguing that political corruption drove young people to violence[1]. One commenter sarcastically suggested that given his "superb throwing form," Filippi should train for the shot put in track and field[1]. The contrast between Filippi's public image as a masked rioter and his private life as a romantic dating-site user who played tennis and studied psychology became a recurring talking point[1]. Local politicians from his hometown of Bassano Romano described his family as "democratic, upstanding people engaged in guaranteeing a better future" for the community[1]. Filippi was eventually sentenced to three years in prison for aggravated resistance and violence against a public official by Judge Tiziana Coccoluto[2]. The prosecution had originally sought eight years, including charges of devastation, but the judge attributed only the resistance charge[2]. He was also ordered to pay 10,000 euros each in damages to Roma Capitale and the public transit company ATAC[2]. Among the officers he was accused of targeting was vice-questore Claudio Cacace[2]. In his defense, Filippi told the court: "I didn't want to hit anyone" (translated from Italian)[2]. He later told reporters he had "ended up in the middle of the clashes by chance" and "lost his head," insisting he was not a black bloc member[3]. ## Fun Facts - Filippi's friends described him as a fan of hard-tek music and rave parties, a regular on chat platforms, and "unexpectedly romantic"[1]. - Friends recalled a previous incident where Filippi crashed his car into five or six parked vehicles while driving home one night, possibly under the influence[1]. - Filippi was one of 13 people arrested after the October 15 riots. All were under 30, six were minors, and two were women[1]. - The nickname "Er Pelliccia" is in Romanesco dialect, the traditional dialect of Rome, literally meaning "The Fur"[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Er Pelliccia? Er Pelliccia is a meme based on a press photo of Fabrizio Filippi throwing a fire extinguisher at police during the 2011 Occupy Rome protests, which became a popular photoshop template on Italian internet forums[4]. ### Where did Er Pelliccia come from? The photo was taken during the Occupy Rome riot in Piazza San Giovanni on October 15, 2011, and the photoshop meme started on the Italian gaming forum NGI on October 18, 2011[4]. ### What does Er Pelliccia mean? "Er Pelliccia" is Romanesco dialect (the traditional Roman dialect of Italian) meaning "The Fur," and it was Fabrizio Filippi's street nickname[4]. ### How do you use Er Pelliccia? Users cut out Filippi's dramatic mid-throw pose and paste it into other images, replacing the context while keeping his distinctive body contortion[4]. ### Is Er Pelliccia still popular? The meme was primarily active in Italian internet communities in late 2011 and is now largely inactive, though it remains a notable example of Italian photoshop culture from the Occupy era[4]. ### Who was the real Er Pelliccia? Fabrizio Filippi, a 24-year-old psychology student from Bassano Romano in the province of Viterbo, who was identified through a tattoo and bracelet visible in the protest photos and matched to his Badoo dating profile[1]. ### What happened to Er Pelliccia after his arrest? He spent 23 days in Regina Coeli prison before being released with an obligation to sign in with authorities three times a week[3]. He was later sentenced to three years for aggravated resistance and violence against a public official[2]. ### How was Er Pelliccia identified? Readers of Il Giornale helped identify him from the protest photos, recognizing a tattoo on his left side and a bracelet that matched his online profiles on Badoo and Facebook[2]. ### What did Er Pelliccia's family say? His father told reporters he thought Fabrizio had gone to university that day and was shocked to see his photo in the papers[1]. Local politicians described the family as upstanding community members[1]. ### What sentence did Er Pelliccia receive? The prosecution sought eight years, but Judge Tiziana Coccoluto sentenced him to three years for resistance and violence against a public official, dropping the devastation charge. He was also ordered to pay 10,000 euros each to Roma Capitale and ATAC[2]. ## References 1. [Arrestato il ragazzo con l'estintore: «Pentito, ma non sono un black bloc» - Corriere Roma]() 2. [Arrestato il ragazzo con l'estintore: «Pentito, ma non sono un black bloc» - Corriere Roma]() 3. [Guerriglia a Roma, tre anni a "Er Pelliccia" - il Giornale]() 4. [Er Pelliccia - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Jean Lambert-wild]() 6. [Er Pelliccia è libero: "Tra gli scontri per caso, sono pentito"]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/er-pelliccia Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library