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Bella Ciao: a brief history of the resistance anthem sung to Viktor Orbán
A look at the origins and appeal off the song MEPs used to serenade the Hungarian PM in Strasbourg
“This is not Eurovision,” said the speaker of the European parliament, Roberta Metsola, as she tried to silence leftwing MEPs greeting the visiting Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, with a rowdy rendition of the classic anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao. The song’s prominent use in the Spanish series La Casa de Papel( Money Heist), one of the most-streamed shows in Netflix’s history, means it has reached less politically active minds and – via electronic remixes – the dance floors of night clubs. The oldest known recording of a melody resembling the song dates back to 1919, by the Odesa-born klezmer accordionist Mishka Ziganoff, with various researchers tracing its roots in French, Yiddish or Dalmatian folk music.
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