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Coffin with swastika flag in front of the Roman church: »Brutal ideological instrumentalization«
Photo: AP
A special kind of funeral took place in the Roman district of Prati on Monday: In front of the Santa Lucia church, more than a dozen mourners stood in trellis, their hands clasped behind their backs, some with bowed heads.
In the middle was a coffin with a large swastika flag on it, as used by the German National Socialists.
With loud shouts, those present showed the "saluto romano" which is forbidden in Italy, the Roman greeting with an outstretched arm, as practiced by Mussolini.
A video documenting the incident went viral and sparked outrage.
The body of Alessia Augello, nicknamed "Tungsy", who died on January 7th of complications from a thrombosis, was laid out.
According to Italian media reports, the 44-year-old was a militant right-wing extremist with ties to the neo-fascist Forza Nuova (FN) party.
According to reports, there were also FN executives present on site - including the right-wing extremist Vincenzo Nardulli, who is known throughout the country.
Now the prosecutor and the police are investigating a possible crime.
Terror and extremism experts from the Italian State Police (Digos) are said to have already identified several participants in the event.
The task now is to find out who has draped the flag on the coffin.
"Far from the message of the gospel"
The pastors in charge stated that they had been surprised by the presentation of the National Socialist symbol and had not authorized them.
"We want to express our deep sadness, disappointment and displeasure with what happened," they said.
They distance themselves from gestures and symbols that are based on "right-wing extremist ideologies".
These are "far removed from the message of the gospel".
According to »Repubblica«, it was not the first time that a church became a propaganda platform for the neo-fascists.
Already in March there was a comparable presentation of right-wing extremist ideas in the parish of Sant'Ippolito in the Roman Piazza Bologna.
"The loss of our beloved Alessia hurts us very much," wrote the aunt of the deceased, Stefania Vesica, on Facebook.
"We distance ourselves totally from what happened before the church." According to this, the bereaved were not privy to the plans of the right-wing extremists and never authorized them.
"Alessia herself would neither have supported nor appreciated this behavior."
Confusion in the Jewish community
The Roman Vicariate also condemned the "brutal ideological instrumentalization" in a holy place as "serious, insulting and unacceptable".
Still, questions remain unanswered.
Why did no one disturb or interrupt the activities of the neo-fascists?
In the Jewish community of Rome there is astonishment: "It is unacceptable that a swastika flag can still be displayed in public these days," it said in a statement.
"Especially in a city that had to see how Jews were deported by the Nazis and their fascist collaborators."
In October 1943, more than a thousand Jews were deported from Rome, most of them to Auschwitz.
Only 16 returned alive.
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