Former Neo-Fascist Wins Rome’s Mayor’s Race

Rome has elected its first rightist mayor in ages. Gianni Alemanno, who ran with the conservative Alleanza Nazionale (part of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom bloc), won 54% of the vote. What is troubling is Mr. Alemanno entered politics through the youth section of the Italian Social Movement, a neo-Fascist party formed by Mussolini’s supporters after the war ended. Often young people make mistakes for which they should be forgiven, but Mr. Alemanno’s platform seemed particularly suspicious.

Mr. Alemanno secured a place in the run-off election as runner up to Francesco Rutelli. Mr. Rutelli won 45.8% of the first round votes, and Mr. Alemanno won 40.7%. Since neither had a majority, they squared off in a second round. Carlo Bassi of Il Velino explained the outcome, “Mr Alemanno got 115,785 votes more than his own coalition got in the political election two weeks earlier: the best evidence that Romans decided to kill in cold blood and voted for the future of the Capital city, rather than on ideological or political faith.”

At his victory celebration, he said, “We have won a long battle. I will be a mayor for all, without distinctions. Today a party has not won, instead Rome has won.” He added, “I will be the mayor of all Romans.” However, just who are the Romans? There are 20,000 Romanian and gypsy immigrants in Rome whom he would deport, claiming that they have broken Italian law. These people don’t count as Romans. To whom else would he deny Roman citizenship?

When it comes to immigrants, “It’s all the fault of Rutelli's left-wing friends in the outgoing government,” he said. “Romania joined the EU in January last year. Prodi’s administration had six months to clamp down on immigration.” What he fails to understand is EU citizens are free to move about the EU as they like.

John Hopper of The Guardian reported that the night Mr. Alemanno won, “At the Campidoglio, the square created by Michelangelo in front of what is now Rome's city hall, far-right sympathisers celebrating the victory of Gianni Alemanno gave straight-arm salutes and chanted ‘Duce! Duce!’” The fact that Mr. Alemanno wears a Celtic Cross (to Italian Fascism was the swastika was to German National Socialism) doesn’t make one feel any better. His wife is Isabella Rauti, the daughter of the diehard social fascist Pino Rauti. The discomfort level rises ever higher.

Rome has seen worse. Rome may even benefit from Mr. Alemanno’s term in office. It’s just a bit difficult to believe that Rome, or anyone else, deserves this.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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