London, 10 Oct. 2021 – A violent brutal fascist attack. It’s nothing more and yet what happened yesterday in Rome couldn’t be more serious and shocking.
Hundreds of violent far-right ’troupes’ marched on Saturday through the streets of central Rome disrupting a rally against the mandatory COVID greenpass. With their fascists salute, tatoos and black leather uniform assaulted the headquarter of CGIL, the biggest Italian trade union where they clashed against the police: 12 arrests included the heads of the far right movement Forza Nuova which could be soon dissolved and shut down by magistrates.
It was war. take a look to these photos and videos
“They were all bare face” in their fascist salute smashing CGIL Trade Union offices in Rome
What is dangerous of all this and why it happens right now.
Sure the successful path to win of right wing coalition candidate Enrico Michetti at Rome mayoral elections with 31,5% of the votes, emboldened far right neo-fascists movements, rooted in increasingly radicalised football supporters – Italy’s ultras are a model for far-right hooligans in UK and around the world, no matter the team they root for, the ideology is one fascism.
The post-Covid economic crisis, the increased restriction of rules on individual and social behaviour over the last year, the shifting and uncertain politics where the current national government, despite the bipartisan support, has not been elected, the crisis of the populists M5S big looser of last week’s local elections where the once leading Italian political party saw its mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, falling behind the lowest rated candidate, in fourth position off the second ballot.
The upsetting urban battle of Saturday could for sure shift votes in Rome from Michetti to left PD Gualtieri at the second ballot, as the centre-right coalition is supported by the extremist Forza Nuova responsible for this attack.
In a preventative political move Michetti went this Sunday to CGIL headquarter showing heartfelt solidarity to save his chances to win the Capitolium seat.
But Italy has the anti-fascism engraved in its national constitution, it’s part of its DNA as a biological anti-corp ready to destroy the black virus, even though far-right extremism is, from years, increasingly aggressive and cowardly tolerated by the moderate right-wing political establishment such as Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.
La Repubblica reports the neo-fascist political hub has been beheaded: Giuliano Castellino and Roberto Fiore (the latter is a former MEP who inherited the seat in Strasbourg from the Dux granddaughter Alessandra Mussolini in 2008) have been arrested along with other 12 militants. Clashes left 38 police officers wounded, while prosecutors are considering terrorism charges. Police identified 600 suspects from the videos posted on social media. Still over these hours it’s a continuous flow of photos, videos and comments.
The defence of the two heads of Forza nuova has the court gown ready to go, notably a well known personnage, symbol of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia; a lawyer who wore the wig in defence of many criminals such as the nazi SS captain Erich Priebke, responsible for the Fosse Ardeatine massacre, and of the former Italian PM Bettino Craxi in the corruption multi trial dubbed Tangentopoli: the solicitor Carlo Taormina.
Political reactions
Democratic party will present tomorrow, Monday 11 October 2021, an urgent motion to the Parliament asking to dissolve Forza Nuova; the party leader Enrico Letta underlined structural political responsibility which lie with the right coalition and parties: “It’s necessary that political forces do not legitimate, in a way or the other, these form of violence…this events stem from the fact that it’s months we’re facing ambiguity on these matters and these are being flattered”, implying far-right is comfortably tolerated to the extent it turns handy to the right as support of electoral coalition.
Talkeurope.org 