Attack on Donald Trump: They Survived Too

The gunfire directed at Republican candidate Donald Trump on Saturday, July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania, adds to a long list of failed attempts to assassinate prominent political, royal, or religious figures. What is perceived as a peculiarity of political struggle in the United States is in reality a practice widely shared by the rest of the world.

Ronald Reagan and the fan of Taxi Driver

Just 69 days into his first term, Ronald Reaganpresident of the United States, was the victim of an assassination attempt. On March 30, 1981, at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, a madman emerged from the crowd and fired six gunshots at the president, almost at point-blank range. The toll was heavy: in addition to Ronald Reagan, who suffered injuries to the lung, the White House spokesman was also hit James Bradythe bodyguard Tim McCarthy and the police officer Thomas Delahanty. James Brady would even die from health complications due to the injuries sustained 33 years later. Arrested seconds after the shooting, John Warnock-Hinckley was identified as the only gunman. A fan of Jodie Foster, he was obsessed with Travis Brickle, the Iroquois hero, played by Robert De Niro, of Taxi Driver, a movie he had seen at least fifteen times in the previous years. Found not guilty by jury by reason of insanity, he spent more than three decades in a psychiatric institution before being released in 2016, under strict supervision: he was banned from owning weapons, speaking to the press, or deleting his online browsing history. He was released unconditionally on June 15, 2022, and now lives with his mother.

Jacques Chirac shot several times with a .22 Long Rifle

On July 14, 2002, in the midst of a military parade in Paris, Jacques Chirac was the victim of an assassination attempt. The attacker, Maxime Bruneriewas a far-right activist. An isolated individual, he later confessed to “having sought a glorious death to become famous”. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, seven of which were spent in the Val-de-Reuil detention centre in the Eure region, before being released on 3 August 2009, after serving seven years of his sentence. He has since started his own business buying and selling old and collectible books. In 2021, Maxime Brunerie was seen at demonstrations against the dissolution of the far-right group Génération Identitaire.

Elizabeth II’s Cold Blood

Six weeks before son’s wedding Prince Charles with Diana SpencerQueen Elizabeth II took part in the military parade Trooping the Colour June 13, 1981. As she was riding majestically along The Mall on her Burmese horse, six gunshots were fired at her. Being a skilled horsewoman, she calmly controlled her frightened horse. The attacker, Marcus Sarjeantwas immediately arrested and the police discovered that his pistol was loaded with blanks. Sarjeant was nevertheless sentenced to five years in prison, before being released two years early. A member of the anti-monarchist movement, Marcus Serjeant had sent a letter to Buckingham Palace warning the Queen of his dark plan. “Your Majesty. Do not go to the ceremony of Trooping the Colour because there is an assassin waiting for you outside the palace, ready to kill you,” he wrote. The letter did not arrive until June 16, three days after the ceremony. Upon his release, Marcus Serjeant sent a letter of apology to the Queen – he certainly enjoyed writing – but she never responded.

The Forgiveness of Pope John Paul II

May 13, 1981, St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. In front of more than 20,000 faithful, the traditional Pope’s walk John Paul II it turned into a nightmare. Mehmet Ali Agca23, a member of the Turkish nationalist organization Grey Wolves, took a semi-automatic pistol from his bag and shot the Pope twice. Hit twice, the Pope lost a lot of blood before being taken away and hospitalized. Arrested on the spot, Mehmet Ali Agca was sentenced to life in prison in Italy and then extradited to Turkey to serve the remainder of his sentence. Two years after the events, in 1983, John Paul II visited Agca in his cell in Rebibbia, on the outskirts of Rome, to grant him clemency. Released on January 18, 2010 after 29 years of imprisonment, Mehmet Ali Agca published an autobiography in 2013 in which he accused the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini of being the instigator of the attack.

Robert Fico seriously injured

On 15 May 2024, the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held a rally in front of a cultural center in Handlová, a town 200 kilometers from the capital Bratislava. That was the moment when Juraj Belt decided to take action. He fired four shots, hitting Fico in the stomach, abdomen, head and chest. His condition was deemed very serious and he underwent a five-hour operation. This was followed by a second operation a few days later. His condition is now improving and the prime minister is continuing his recovery at home, planning to resume his activities by the end of July. A 71-year-old poet, Cintula had openly criticized Robert Fico and his ministers on social media shortly before the attack. “I do not agree with the government,” he explained in a video shortly before his arrest. Juraj Cintula is the author of three collections of poems, a novel and a book about Slovak Roma, Ephata. In this work, Cintula praises the program of the popular party “Our Slovakia” which is located on the far right of the country’s political spectrum. Cintula has been charged with attempted premeditated murder and is currently being held in pre-trial detention in Slovak prisons.

Prince Charles and the Blanks

During an official visit to Sydney on Wednesday 26 January 1994, the Prince Charles he had the unpleasant surprise of seeing an individual rushing towards him who, after having eluded the (weak) security checks, had pulled a gun from his jeans and fired two blank shots at him. David Kang, A 23-year-old Cambodian refugee, he explained his actions as a protest against the treatment of several hundred Cambodian asylum seekers held in detention camps in Australia. He was immediately taken into custody, but was released a few days later on 4 February 1994 and sentenced to 500 hours of community service. Commenting on the incident in 2005, Kang said: “What happened 11 years ago was a hugely traumatic experience and my life has certainly moved on since then, as I have become a lawyer here in Sydney.” A married father of two, Kang now lives a quiet life, dividing his time between his hobbies of football, tennis and swimming. He has, however, given up shooting, which was too difficult to manage.

The statuette of Berlusconi

The blood on Trump’s face, in Italy, brought back memories of an event from 15 years ago. It was December 13, 2009 when Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister, was attacked in Piazza Duomo in Milan at the end of a rally of the People of Freedom. The leader of Forza Italia was hit with a statuette depicting the Duomo by Massimo Tartaglia, a 42-year-old electrical engineer. The man hit him in the face. Accused of aggravated assault against the former Prime Minister, he was acquitted the following year because he was incapable of understanding and willing.