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 organised 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 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.”
