Italian neo-fascists commemorated the execution of World War II Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini with flower bouquets, Kingdom of Italy flags, and Roman salutes at two ceremonies in Dongo and Giulino di Mezzegra, drawing outrage from opposing political groups and Jewish organizations.
The events on Sunday, organized by Associazione Culturale Mario Nicollini, marked 80 years since the capture of Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci by Italian partisans at Dongo on April 27, 1945, and their firing-squad execution in the town of Giulino di Mezzegra the following day. The association said over a hundred participants attended the ceremony.
“The dead of April 28, 1945, still march with us!” the association said on Facebook.
The association decried the execution as a barbaric murder that didn’t even spare Petacci, though “she was guilty of nothing except love for a man, and no one has ever paid for her murder!”
The Italian Democratic Party decried the scenes of rows of men raising their arms in salute to Mussolini, saying on Instagram that it was shameful that the event was allowed to occur.
Calls for the rallies to be banned
The far-left Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d’Italia told La Presse that it was shameful that in a country with a history of fascism that such a ceremony occurred, and called for such rallies to be banned.
The European Jewish Congress said it was appalled by the ceremonies, noting the oppression, antisemitism, violence, and Holocaust collaboration that occurred under Mussolini’s regime.
“Glorifying the legacy of fascism is not a mere provocation, it is a direct attack on the fundamental values of democracy, freedom and human dignity,” the EJC said on X/Twitter. “Such displays of hate have no place in Europe today. We call on authorities to act firmly against any attempts to rehabilitate fascist ideology and to ensure that the lessons of history are never forgotten.”
Racial laws were introduced by the Kingdom of Italy in 1938, stripping Jews of civil rights. Jews were expelled from positions in public education, civil service, and military. Marriage between Jews and non-Jews was forbidden.
Following the deposing of Mussolini in 1943 and the kingdom’s surrender to the Allies, Germany invaded northern Italy and reestablished Mussolini as a puppet over the Italian Social Republic. The Nazi puppet state soon saw Jewish residents subject to the persecution, deportations, and murders of the Holocaust.
The ceremonies for Mussolini came just two days after Italy celebrated Liberation Day, which commemorates the overthrow of the Italian Social Republic.
The Jewish community of Rome celebrated with a March from the Commonwealth War Cemetery with Italian flags and banners honoring the Jewish brigade, according to their social media. At Porta San Paolo, a wreath was laid on behalf of the community and l’Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane in memory of the partisans and brigade fighters who fell in combat during the war.
