Those deployed in military formation remembered the “martyr comrades” with the “present tense” and the Roman salute. The scene was repeated on January 7, 2024, in front of the historical headquarters of the Italian Social Movement on Via Acca Larentia in Rome, sparking political debate.
Far-right militants and those nostalgic for fascism came together, as every year, to commemorate the 1978 massacre in which Franco Bigonzetti, Francesco Ciavatta and Stefano Recchioni lost their lives; The first two were in the hands of far-left opponents, and the third in the following period. clashes with the police. This year, perhaps motivated by the “sovereignist” wind blowing in the West and the “friendly” government represented at the official ceremony by Chamber vice-president Fabio Rampelli, the participants turned out, apparently, in particularly large numbers. Footage that looks like it was taken from a newsreel from the last century.
Ruotolo: “In Germany they arrest those who give Roman salutes, but not in Italy”
The paradox, repeated every year, is that the institutional commemoration coincides – by circumstances – with the gathering of those nostalgic for fascism. “Sandro Ruotolo, communications director of the Democratic Party in Germany, writes about a crime that must always be prosecuted. Fascist organizations must be dissolved.”
The Democratic Party will ask the Minister of Internal Affairs to report to the Parliament. Secretary Elly Schlein wrote on social media: “We will ask a question to Minister Piantedosi; what happened is unacceptable. Neo-fascist organizations must be closed down, as stated in the Constitution.” Action leader Carlo Calenda is also harsh: “This is an unacceptable shame for European democracy,” he writes, commenting on the footage.
Discussion between Rocca and PD
A few hours ago, together with Rampelli, Miguel Gotor, Member of the Cultural Council of the Municipality of Rome, Francesco Rocca, President of the Lazio Region, and his deputy Roberta Angelilli laid two laurel wreaths in front of the former MSI headquarters. Rocca himself quarreled with Emanuela Droghei, a regional councilor of the Democratic Party, who criticized his presence at the commemoration: “It is one thing to commemorate the dead – writes Droghei – it is another to provide institutional cover for fascist rallies. The right and the left have, over the years, shared common views on the victims of the years of bullets.” “They worked to create a memory, but this show is something else. Rocca and Angelilli remember that they are at the head of a democratic institution.”
Accusation that enraged the regional president: “The institutional ceremony, which I attended and, according to Rocca, also attended Rome Capital councilor Miguel Gotor, was extremely neat and lively, with the sole intention of commemorating the three victims of the Years of Lead. As Gotor himself can attest.” “There is no Roman salute in front of any corporate office. If there were Roman salutes, I would not hesitate to brand them and distance myself from them. Accusing the undersigned of providing corporate protection at Fascist rallies is defamatory and Droghei will answer for it in court”.
Controversy aside, the existence of institutions in such a context is largely at odds with the images repeated every year on the occasion of the commemoration and what happens in the days before the commemoration, when it is made public. This year, the poster promoting the event features a white Celtic cross above the text “present time, present time, present time.” And the night’s dramatic images are part of a now-consolidated script that everyone knows by heart, especially those living in that quarter of the Tuscolano neighborhood who are forced to barricade themselves in their homes every January 7.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
