Italy’s Defense Ministry has hit back at claims it is “reviving fascism” after publishing a calendar honoring the heroism of soldiers who fought for dictator Benito Mussolini’s regime.
The Italian military’s 2024 calendar, titled “Always for Italy…before and after September 8, 1943,” refers to the date on which then-fascist Italy surrendered to the Allies during World War II. .
The protests come weeks after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Italian Brotherhood party, was forced to condemn hundreds of people who allegedly gave mass fascist salutes during a memorial service in Rome.
Meloni’s party, which traces its roots to postwar Italian social movements founded by former fascists, praised Mussolini in his youth but has recently condemned his racial laws as “the worst period in our country’s history.” .
The creators of the calendar said they wanted to honor officers and soldiers who distinguished themselves by heroic deeds before and after the armistice.
The text attached to the calendar said: [the war] Before and after September 8, 1943, we kept our oath with absolute conviction to serve our country…the same people, the same heroes. ”
Opposition politicians and anti-fascist activists condemned the calendar and demanded it be removed from shelves.
Gianfranco Pagliarulo, president of the partisan association ANPI, which represents those who fought in Italy’s resistance movement against the Nazi occupiers and Italian fascist forces, called this “unacceptable” and told ANSA news agency: They are a minority of fascists who are trying to rewrite Italian history. ”
The Ministry of Defense hit back on Thursday, denying any intention to stir up “political controversy and ideological prejudice” and saying the calendar was “not intended to be a ‘resurrection of fascism’ and, on the contrary… The purpose is to demonstrate dedication and courage.” It’s a war of liberation. ”