Rome says no to weekend march by neo-fascist group

A neo-fascist movement in Italy is being denied the right to organise an anti-government demonstration at the weekend, sparking widespread anger, accusations of authoritarianism among followers of the group, but praise for the ban from political opponents.

After days of heightened tensions between CasaPound and anti-fascist politicians, the spokesperson for the far-right group announced they had been denied permission to gather in Rome on 28 May as previously scheduled.

The group was notified on Monday by Rome’s police following pressure by Italy’s partisan association and the Democratic Party to call the event off.

“I find this very grave because it sets a very dangerous precedent for anyone wishing to demonstrate against a government like [prime minister] Draghi’s, which is killing our nation,” Luca Marsella said during a Facebook live stream.

“They’re stepping on every right of freedom of expression,” added Marsella, who in 2017 was sentenced to two months in prison for threatening a group of anti-fascist students.

But critics have argued that cancelling the demonstration has little to do with freedom of expression and everything to do with the rule of law.

“Our constitution is very clear: it prohibits being an apologist for fascism,” Democratic Party member and European Parliament vice-president Pina Picierno told The Independent. “And these movements continue to put forward [that position] in every way at every demonstration.”

open image in gallery

The group has been accused of bringing fascism back into the political mainstream in Italy.

Legal action against groups sych as CasaPound have been thwarted by the country’s laws on freedom of expression. As a result, the group has grown over the years, garnering approximately 6,000 official members and many more sympathisers.

Since its founding in Rome in 2003 as a social movement, CasaPound has opened more than 100 centres across Italy, a move that was described by its leader, Gianluca Iannone, as a “territorial conquest”.

In almost two decades they have made headlines for their xenophobic and anti-immigration ideology, incidents of violence and even a peculiar partnership with Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries.

From fascist salutes and symbology to a leadership with longstanding ties to Italy’s far-right, CasaPound has made no secret of its political leanings, even during its short stint as a political party.

One of the group’s emblems, the flash and circle, was adopted from the British Union of Fascists, a group that was disbanded by Winston Churchill soon after he was elected in 1940.

In a country that still bears the scars of Benito Mussolini’s rule, CasaPound’s unrelenting activism and countrywide appeal have been causes of alarm for many, who welcomed the decision to prohibit the march.

The group’s sympathisers, however, denounced the move as an attempt to quash freedom of expression.

“Cheers to democracy, it’s dead in Italy,” one social media user wrote on the official CasaPound Facebook page, followed by 271,000 people. “The funny thing is that Draghi speaks of Russian and Turkish dictatorship, but dictatorship in Italy is called democracy,” wrote another follower.

CasaPound has since said it will not back down and plans instead to hold a sit-in on Saturday outside its headquarters, a building in Rome’s city centre they have been occupying illegally for years.

“These gatherings always turn into something ugly and violent and into a promotion of fascism, which our constitution prohibits… these types of gatherings should no longer be allowed,” said Picierno.

open image in gallery

The date of the CasaPound gathering has also been widely criticised as it marks the 48th anniversary of the piazza della Loggia bombing in Brescia in which eight people were killed in a terrorist attack carried out by far-right Ordine Nuovo during an anti-fascist protest.

The Democratic Party issued a statement calling on Rome’s police prefecture and the city authorities to “prevent the illegal gathering of an association that openly refers to fascism”.

Picierno said on Tuesday that she is spearheading along with the Democratic Party a project that aims to bring together a group of experts to monitor far-right movements across Europe in a bid to stop them from growing.