Far-Right Italians Reenact Mussolini’s Rome March

By JTA October 29, 2012

Hundreds of far-right Italians converged on Predappio, the town in northern Italy where Benito Mussolini was born and is buried, to mark the 90th anniversary of the “march on Rome” that brought the Fascist dictator to power.

The crowds chanted “Duce, Duce” and gave the fascist salute during Sunday’s anniversary march.

Hardcore Fascists mark the anniversary each year, paying homage at Mussolini’s birthplace and at his tomb.

News reports estimated that for Sunday’s milestone anniversary, up to 1,000 Fascist diehards paraded through the streets of Predappio. Many wore the historic Fascist black shirts, fezzes and jackboots, and carried Fascist symbols, banners and insignia.

Giulio Maria Tam, an excommunicated priest who is a follower of breakaway traditionalist Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, addressed the crowd with a fiery, xenophobic speech that denounced Islam and called for divine aid in the “battle” to defend Italy from immigrants.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO