The Venetian Most Serene Government, whose members are often referred to as Serenissimi, is a political organization active in Veneto, reclaiming independence and self-government for Venetian lands. It is a bulwark of Venetian nationalism. In the early 1980sLuigi Faccia and Flavio Contin left Liga Veneta, the mainstream regionalist party in Veneto, because they considered it too moderate. On 25 January 1987 Faccia and Contin launched the VSG. In 1992 the group was joined by Fausto Faccia, brother of Luigi, and, later, by Bepin Segato, who was appointed "ambassador" of the VSG. Since 1996 the group is a perpetrator of raids into the frequencies of RAI, the Italian state ownedpublic service broadcaster, in Veneto with separatist proclamations in Venetian language. During the night between 8 and 9 May 1997 the Serenissimi, occupied Piazza San Marco and the St Mark's Campanile in Venice in order to proclaim the "independence of Veneto". After eight hours there in the Campanile, the Carabinieri entered and arrested the group. The members of the group, including the two leaders of the Venetian Most Serene Government, Luigi Faccia and Bepin Segato, who did not take part to the action, were all jailed and processed. The effort, which was more symbolic than anything else, was criticized by Umberto Bossi and Roberto Maroni, leaders of Lega Nord, at that time proponents of the independence of Padania, while it was praised by Gianfranco Miglio, a former senator of the League who was then elected as an independent for the centre-right Pole of Freedoms. The Serenissimi soon became sort of "heroes" for many Venetists and the tanko is a usual exhibit at the yearly Festa dei Veneti and at other rallies of that kind, also outside Veneto. Segato was a candidate of Liga Veneta Repubblica in the 2001 general election and came short of election to the Italian Senate, having received 9.8% of the vote in the constituency of Schio. Representatives from most political parties in Veneto, including centre-left figures, defended the Serenissimi: Claudio Rizzato of the Democrats of the Left even praised the "noble ideals" of the group, while Massimo Cacciari and GreenGianfranco Bettin campaigned for the pardon to those in jail, along with Liga Veneta and the regional section of Forza Italia. Some of them are not embarrassed in taking part to a rally, the Festa dei Veneti, in which the tanko is exposed. More recently also leading members of the League, including Bossi and Roberto Calderoli, praised them and another leghista, Roberto Castelli, when minister of Justice in 2003, proposed a pardon for Faccia who was still in jail, unsuccessfully as Faccia refused it. The group is still active nowadays, under the leadership of Luca Peroni, and currently campaigns for a referendum on self-determination of Veneto. In April 2014 L. Faccia and Contin were arrested, along with several other Venetian separatists, for suspected crimes including criminal association for terrorism and subversion of the democratic order. In jail Faccia proclaimed himself "war prisoner" and answer to questions. By the end of April most detained Venetists were released as the tribunal of Brescia did not uphold the accusations, with the notable exceptions of Faccia and Contin, who refused to ask to be released.
