A terrorist attack in Macerata close to Italy’s Adriatic coast on February 3 sharply illustrated the persistence of fascist violence in the country. The drive-by shooting spree, which targeted African immigrants, injured eight people. But even as the gunman Luca Traini handed himself into police, Italian politicians were quick to insist that the real problem stemmed from migration itself.
Throughout Italy’s election campaign its main parties have imitated anti-migrant and racist rhetoric from the far right, an alarming trend in a country where fascist groups are increasingly finding a foothold again. The Left’s weakened social roots and a pliant media have combined not only to boost hard-right forces like the Lega and Fratelli d’Italia, but also militant fascist groups such as CasaPound and Forza Nuova.
Italy has a long history of anti-fascist struggle, but developing the tools to stem the latest rise in far-right politics will take more than a veneration of the country’s resistance heritage. As fascism becomes popular again in the country of its birth, Italy’s left desperately needs to rebuild its social roots in the communities the far right is targeting.
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