Italian prosecutors on Friday charged 12 mostly far-right militants for making Fascist salutes at the commemoration of the 1973 Primavalle Massacre. The suspects are, for the most part, militants of extremeright-wing political formations in Rome, including formeractivists, well-known militants, and new recruits of neo-Fascist groups.
In addition to those charged, Rome Digos special branch police identified another 15 people, all linked to radical right-wing circles. The Constitutional Court clarified earlier this week that making Fascist salutes was against the law even if they were "merely commemorative," reversing the interpretation of a previous ruling. "On 16 April, fifty years ago Italy and Rome experienced one of the darkest pages of national history," said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a message to the president of the Fratelli Mattei Association (FdI). The FdI has its historical roots in the MSI and features a Mussolini tricolor flame in its logo, although the prime minister has repeatedly condemned Fascism.