Matteotti was assassinated by Fascists in 1924.The vandalism of a marble plaque dedicated to slain Italian socialist and Mussolini critic Giacomo Matteotti sparked outrage from across Italy's political spectrum on Monday.The memorial is located on Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia near where Matteotti was abducted in 1924 before being assassinated by Fascists in a killing that shook Mussolini's regime. Culture minister Alessandro Giuli, a member of premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, visited the site on Monday to inspect the damage and express his outrage. "This act of vandalism is a serious act, which strikes a place of shared civil memory" - Giuli said in a statement - "Incidents of this kind must not be underestimated: respect for one of the founding figures of Italian democratic consciousness is a duty that involves everyone." Antonio Tajani, deputy Italian premier and leader of the centre-right Forza Italia party, also expressed outrage over the vandalisation of the plaque in memory of "an Italian who fell for our common freedom". Rome's centre-left mayor Roberto Gualtieri condemned the "cowardly and unacceptable act" which he described as "an affront to the memory of one of the most shining symbols of anti-fascism and our democracy", adding that the city would restore the plaque immediately. Background Speaking in parliament on 30 May 1924, Matteotti alleged that the Fascists had rigged the results of the general election held the previous month, and condemned the violence they used to gain votes. Less than two weeks later, on 10 June 1924, the 39-year-old Matteotti was abducted from outside his Rome residence, beaten violently and killed by a group of Fascists. His body was not discovered until 16 August, buried in a shallow grave near Riano, north of the capital. The so-called Matteotti Crisis initially threatened to bring down the Fascist regime however Mussolini and his government survived and the king was unwilling to dismiss him. Ultimately Mussolini assumed responsibility for the assassination, dissolving parliament and assuming dictatorial powers in a totalitarian Fascist regime. Last year, on the centenary of his abduction and murder, Italy's president Sergio Mattarella laid a wreath at the memorial to Matteotti, hailing him as a "martyr of democracy". A century after the speech that led to his assassination, Matteotti was remembered in parliament by prime minister Meloni, leader of the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia party, who described him as "a free and courageous man killed by Fascist thugs for his ideas."

The vandalism of a marble plaque dedicated to slain Italian socialist and Mussolini critic Giacomo Matteotti sparked outrage from across Italy's political spectrum on Monday. The memorial is located on Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia near where Matteotti was abducted in 1924 before being assassinated by Fascists in a killing that shook Mussolini's regime. Culture minister Alessandro Giuli, a member of premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, visited the site on Monday to inspect the damage and express his outrage. "This act of vandalism is a serious act, which strikes a place of shared civil memory" - Giuli said - "Incidents of this kind must not be underestimated: respect for one of the founding figures of Italian democratic consciousness is a duty that involves everyone." Antonio Tajani, deputy Italian premier and leader of the centre-right Forza Italia party, also expressed outrage over the vandalisation of the plaque in memory of "an Italian who fell for our common freedom". Rome's centre-left mayor Roberto Gualtieri condemned the "cowardly and unacceptable act" "an affront to the memory of one of the most shining symbols of anti-fascism and our democracy", adding that the city would restore the plaque immediately. Background Speaking in parliament on 30 May 1924, Matteotti alleged that the Fascists had rigged the results of the general election held the previous month, and condemned the violence they used to gain votes. Less than two weeks later, on 10 June 1924, the 39-year-old Matteotti was abducted from outside his Rome residence, beaten violently and killed by a group of Fascists. His body was not discovered until 16 August, buried in a shallow grave near Riano, north of the capital. The so-called Matteotti Crisis initially threatened to bring down the Fascist regime however Mussolini and his government survived and the king was unwilling to dismiss him. Ultimately Mussolini assumed responsibility for the assassination, dissolving parliament and assuming dictatorial powers in a totalitarian Fascist regime. Last year, on the , Italy's president Sergio Mattarella laid a wreath at the memorial to Matteotti, hailing him as a "martyr of democracy". A century after the speech that led to his assassination, Matteotti was remembered in parliament by prime minister Meloni, leader of the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia party, who described him as "a free and courageous man killed by Fascist thugs for his ideas."