opposition outraged after video showing fascist salutes during rally in Rome

The video, published Monday by Italian media, shows hundreds of people dressed in black lined up and raising their arms three times in a fascist salute while shouting “present.”

Italian opposition leaders called on Monday, January 8, for the dissolution of neofascist organizations after the broadcast of a video appearing to show hundreds of people giving the fascist salute during a far-right rally in Rome. The video, shot at night and published by Italian media, including the daily Corriere della Serashows hundreds of people dressed in black lined up and raising their arms three times with a shouting fascist salute “here”. AFP could not confirm the authenticity of the video on Monday evening.

According to media reports, the scene takes place in front of the former Roman headquarters of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a party formed by supporters of Mussolini after World War II, during the commemoration of the murder of two teenage members of the wing youth of the MSI, shot dead on January 7, 1978, during the “Years of Lead”. The far left was held responsible but the investigation resulted in no convictions, while a third member of the MSI youth wing died after being hit by a stray bullet during the riots that followed .

“It feels like it’s 1924”

“Rome, January 7, 2024. It feels like 1924”a time when Italy was ruled by Benito Mussolini’s national-fascist party, commented Elly Schlein, leader of the center-left Democratic Party. “Neofascist organizations must be dissolved, as provided for in the constitution”, she said. Elly Schlein called on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia party from the MSI, to condemn the incident. The Democratic Party also urged the government to disband neofascist groups and “counteract the apologists of fascism by all means”.

The opposition Five Star Movement (M5S) intends to file a complaint with the Rome prosecutor’s office, according to the AGI news agency. In a statement, Fratelli d’Italia condemned its rivals for “having used the memory of the tragic death of three boys killed by communist hatred to carry out sinister propaganda”.