Neofascist Rally in Italy Marks Mussolini’s Rule

Thousands met in Rome on October 28 to celebrate the 100-Year Anniversary of Mussolini’s March on Rome, where he installed a fascist dictatorship in Italy. (picryl)

Neofascism is on the rise in Italy. On October 28, 2022, between two thousand and four thousand people converged on the hometown of Benito Mussolini to celebrate the one hundred-year anniversary of his March on Rome. The event sparked fear of an emergence of fascism in Italy. 

One hundred years ago Benitio Mussolini led the March on Rome, a bloodless coup d'état of the Italian government which led to his appointment as prime minister by Italian King Victor Emmanuel III on October 29, 1922. Mussolini used this position to cement his 21-year-long fascist dictatorship.

People from all across Italy, and the world, traveled to Mussolini’s birth town of Predappio to celebrate the anniversary. Mussolini’s great-granddaughters, Orsola and Vittoria, along with the neofascist group Arditi d’Italia, organized the event, which began on October 28. The event ended two days later with a march to Mussolini’s family crypt where he is buried. 

The group wore fascist symbols and sang songs from Italy’s fascist years. In addition, they shouted “Duce, Duce, Duce,” which is Mussolini’s honorific. Each person at the cemetery was given a memory card of Mussolini saluting, captioned “History will prove me right.” Each card was signed by his granddaughters. Organizers told the group not to perform the Nazi salute or they could be prosecuted by the Italian Government, as Italy has laws preventing any display of fascist sympathy or the reconstitution of fascist parties. However, many outside of the crypt performed the salute anyway. 

Another group hung a banner from a bridge near the Colosseum in Rome to celebrate the anniversary. The banner bore a picture of Mussolini which read “100 years after, the march continues” and was credited to The National Movement, a neofascist group.

In October, Giorgia Meloni, the head of the Brothers of Italy party, was elected Prime Minister of Italy—the first time a party with neo-fascist roots has ruled Italy since World War II. Meloni has praised Mussolini in the past, but has recently attempted to distance her party from neo-fascism. Meloni testified in Parliament, claiming that the antisemitic rule during World War II was "the lowest point in Italian history, a shame that will mark our people forever," and that she never sympathized with the regime. 

However, many of the celebrators paid tribute to Meloni at the event. Many sympathizers believe that Meloni felt forced to publicly refute neofascism, though still supports their cause. Meloni has refused to remove the tri-color flame on her party’s logo, which hails from its neofascist roots. This flame rests on Mussolini’s tomb where people converged during the celebration. Mussolini’s portrait still hangs in the Prime Minister’s official residence and a member of Meloni’s government openly collects Mussolini memorabilia.

The uptake of participants commemorating Mussolini’s rule is connected to the power the Brothers of Italy party now holds. The celebrators are not expected to face consequences, which will only continue to embolden them.