“This empty chamber, abandoned by the same parliamentarians who wanted this debate, explains how much more important it is for armchair anti-fascists to find a place in the restaurant, and not among their secretaries here, in Parliament.” So did the co-president of the Ecr group in the European Parliament Nicola Procaccini from Fratelli d’Italia, during his speech in the Strasbourg plenary, where only twenty people were present, in the debate on the Roman greetings to Acca Larentia. “On the other hand, the objective of the left was to defame Italy and the objective was achieved. It is regrettable that, as always, the Italian left also lends itself to this unscrupulous operation, still unable to understand the reasons for its own political and electoral failure. Let’s start with the title of this debate: “The fight against the revival of neo-fascism in Europe, also in reference to the parade that took place in Rome on January 7th”. Firstly, it was not a parade, but a funeral celebration. The same thing that has happened for over 40 years, every January 7th. The same one in which, in addition to the tribute made up of citizens and institutions, unfortunately, some far-right activists usually give the Roman salute, but over the years there have been fewer and fewer numbers. Yes, because in these more than 40 years, parties of all political colors have succeeded each other in the government of Italy; prime ministers like Draghi and Conte, Craxi and Andreotti, Prodi and D’Alema. And the celebration of Acca Larentia has always remained the same”, he continued.
And further: “The only thing that has changed is the number of people who give the Roman salute. Today there are a few dozen, whereas in the past there were a few thousand. had the political meaning of apologia for the fascist regime. So much so that the Judiciary almost never recognized it as a crime, considering it for what it really is: a funeral gesture. A small gesture, within a tragedy too big to be forgotten: that of innocent young people, massacred by communist terrorism. We would have preferred to talk about the victims of political terrorism in this Chamber. All victims, regardless of party. It was not possible, because the Italian Democratic Party and the various groups on the European left prevented it, just yesterday. Of course, they can abandon this debate to go to dinner, but they are still not satisfied with the political hatred. Enjoy your meal, we will continue to nourish ourselves with respect for the ideas of others and with love for our people.”
Is Italy in danger? The head of the Fratelli d’Italia-Ecr delegation to the European Parliament, Carlo Fidanza, speaking at the plenary session in Strasbourg during the debate on the ‘Fight against the resurgence of neo-fascism in Europe’, also in light of the demonstration that took place in Rome on January 7th’, he dismantled the theorems of the left: “Today in Italy, threats to public security come mainly from the extreme left and Islamic radicalism. There is no risk of fascism returning, democracy is safely and firmly defended by Giorgia Meloni, who has already expressed words of clear condemnation of all totalitarian ideology and nostalgia several times.” Returning to Acca Larentia, he added: “That of Franco Bigonzetti, Francesco Ciavatta and Stefano Recchioni, murdered on January 7, 1978 in front of a section of the Italian Social Movement in Rome, is the story of many other young people killed through the sole guilt of doing politics on the right in those terrible years. The action was claimed by an armed communist group, but the culprits were never found, as were the killers of Mikis Mantakas, Mario Zicchieri, Francesco Cecchin and Paolo Di Nella. Victims without justice of a time of hatred, in which even young leftists lost their lives, also collateral victims, forgotten by those who prefer to use memory as a political club. Yes, because, regardless of how you think, there is an undeniable truth: that celebration lasting a few minutes – in which, to avoid any misunderstanding, our party does not participate – has been carried out in the same way every year, for decades , with governments of all colors. Just last year, with the Meloni government already in office… but the elections had just taken place and the next ones were still a long way off. Today, however, the elections are approaching and a desperate and unarguable left finds nothing better than shouting about the evergreen black danger. I’ll give you a prediction, dear colleagues: this time it won’t work either.”
Source: IL Tempo
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.
