On May 14, 1931, Toscanini accepted an invitation to conduct two concerts at Bologna. On getting out of his car, he found himself surrounded by Fascist youths. A young journalist asked him to play a march loved by the Fascists. Toscanini said “No”. The journalist hit him in the face and neck. Toscanini’s wife, driver and friend managed to save him from the attack and get him back to the hotel. News of the attack quickly spread in the crowded theatre. An officer announced that the concert was put off, and the public began to shout, and went into the street – a revolution (革命)seemed to have broken out. The next day letters and telegrams reached Toscanini from all over the world. It was said that the conductor had received 15,000 such messages, and an extra postman had to be hired to deal with them. The fascists didn’t know Toscanini. Toscanini said in response that the lesson they wanted to teach him was useless and it would be so in the future. He said, “If the same condition should happen in other places in Italy... I would repeat tomorrow what I did yesterday.” During World War II, Toscanini finally left his homeland and didn’t return until fascist was overthrown(推翻).