What is ‘bella ciao’? The meaning of Italian phrase written on alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson’s bullets

One of the phrases scrawled on a bullet casing belonging to alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson is an Italian anti-fascist phrase associated with World War II.

“O bella ciao, bella ciao” was written on an unfired casing, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said during a press briefing Friday morning announcing the arrest of the 22-year-old suspect.

The slogan is the title of an anti-fascist song popularized following World War II by left-wing Italian partisans.

Singing the song is a hallmark of Liberation Day in Italy, which is celebrated every April 25 and commemorates the fall of Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime — though there is no evidence that the song was known or popular at the time of the conflict. 

The slogan has been embraced by the global left and was famously sung by trade unionists in May 2023 to taunt conservative Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.

Kirk, a popular conservative commentator, was shot and killed Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University, leading to a furious manhunt that led to the capture of Robinson.