Friday 29 August 2025 11:08
Fascism row erupts in Rome over giant Celtic cross
Renewed calls to remove controversial symbol which can be seen on Google Maps.A row has broken out in Rome after a giant Celtic cross - a symbol of the far right in Italy - was repainted near the scene of the 1978 killing of three neo-fascist militants.The symbol, co-opted by neo-fascists and white supremacists, has a diameter of about 10 metres and is clearly visible from above using satellite imagery.
The cross was painted on the ground of a courtyard on Via Acca Larentia, where hundreds of far-right militants gather on 7 January every year to raise a straight-armed fascist salute to commemorate the 1978 killing of three members of the youth wing of the neo-fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI).
This year the event attracted around 1,300 participants who, in addition to raising their right arms, shouted "Present!" in response to the call "For all fallen comrades!", a rallying cry associated with the Italian far-right.
Vergogna di Stato. Roma, Italia 2025. #AccaLarentia pic.twitter.com/CTBIrieZje
โ Paolo Berizzi (@PBerizzi) January 7, 2025
The MSI was a precursor to the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia party led today by Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who has commemorated the victims of the 1978 killings in the past.
Unacceptable
News that the contentious symbol had been repainted was announced on Thursday by the secretary of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party, Enzo Foschi.
"The arrogance of those who feel they are above the law. An unacceptable act" - Foschi wrote on social media - "We demand that this disgrace be erased and those responsible be identified. Rome is not, and will never be, an open city for fascists."
Local residents have been calling for the permanent removal of the Celtic cross from the courtyard - owned by Italy's primary national social security institution INPS - after the area's borough council passed a motion in January 2024 sanctioning the move.
The coordinators of the Sinistra italiana (Italian Left) in the local municipality, Alessia Marri and Fabio Sacco, also intervened in the case on Thursday, expressing "dismay" that the Celtic cross has been restored and slamming the "unacceptable impunity afforded to far-right activists who continue to act in violation of the law and the anti-fascist values that characterize our city".
Acca Larentia killings
On 7 January 1978, Franco Bigonzetti and Francesco Ciavatta, aged 18 and 19, were shot dead after being ambushed outside the MSI headquarters on Via Acca Larenzia in the city's Tuscolano suburb.
Nobody has ever been prosecuted for the killings which were allegedly carried out by far-left militants.
A third MSI youth wing member, Stefano Recchioni, 20, died after being hit by a stray bullet during riots with police in the immediate aftermath of the deaths.
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read the news on Wanted in Rome - News in Italy - Rome's local English news
A row has broken out in Rome after a giant Celtic cross - a symbol of the far right in Italy - was repainted near the scene of the 1978 killing of three neo-fascist militants.
The symbol, co-opted by neo-fascists and white supremacists, has a diameter of about 10 metres and is clearly visible from above using satellite imagery.
The cross was painted on the ground of a courtyard on Via Acca Larentia, where hundreds of far-right militants gather on 7 January every year to raise a straight-armed fascist salute to commemorate the 1978 killing of three members of the youth wing of the neo-fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI).
This year the
event attracted around 1,300 participants
who, in addition to raising their right arms, shouted "Present!" in response to the call "For all fallen comrades!", a rallying cry associated with the Italian far-right.
Vergogna di Stato. Roma, Italia 2025. #AccaLarentia
pic.twitter.com/CTBIrieZje
โ Paolo Berizzi (@PBerizzi) January 7, 2025
The MSI was a precursor to the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia party led today by Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who has commemorated the victims of the 1978 killings in the past.
Unacceptable
News that the contentious symbol had been repainted was announced on Thursday by the secretary of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party, Enzo Foschi.
"The arrogance of those who feel they are above the law. An unacceptable act" - Foschi wrote on social media - "We demand that this disgrace be erased and those responsible be identified. Rome is not, and will never be, an open city for fascists."
Local residents have been calling for the permanent removal of the Celtic cross from the courtyard - owned by Italy's primary national social security institution INPS - after the area's borough council passed a motion in January 2024 sanctioning the move.
The coordinators of the Sinistra italiana (Italian Left) in the local municipality, Alessia Marri and Fabio Sacco, also intervened in the case on Thursday, expressing "dismay" that the Celtic cross has been restored and slamming the "unacceptable impunity afforded to far-right activists who continue to act in violation of the law and the anti-fascist values that characterize our city".
Acca Larentia killings
On 7 January 1978, Franco Bigonzetti and Francesco Ciavatta, aged 18 and 19, were shot dead after being ambushed outside the MSI headquarters on Via Acca Larenzia in the city's Tuscolano suburb.
Nobody has ever been prosecuted for the killings which were allegedly carried out by far-left militants.
A third MSI youth wing member, Stefano Recchioni, 20, died after being hit by a stray bullet during riots with police in the immediate aftermath of the deaths.