Italy: Racism and fascism (2)
01 January 1991
Italy: Racism and fascism
artdoc April=1995
MSI and AN to merge
AN leader Gianfranco Fini says that the MSI will be merged with
the AN at the Alliance's party congress in January 1995. `The
congress' said Fini `will signal the end of an epoch and the
opening of a new era: that of the National Alliance. Maybe we'll
lose the support of a few idiots who equate the Right with
racism, but we'd be better off without them' (European 28.10.94).
Two public opinion polls show growing support for the AN. A poll
carried out by Famiglia Christiana (Christian Family) suggests
that Gianfranco Fini has come within one percentage point of the
current prime minister as the person Italians most want to lead
the country. And another poll, published in October, suggests
that support for the AN has risen to 17.1 per cent from 12.5 per
cent at the European elections in June (Jewish Chronicle 15.8.94,
European 28.10.94).
Fini at Trieste
When AN leader Gianfranco Fini went to address a rally in Trieste
he demanded that Slovenians `kneel down before the Italian
people' and make amends to those who were forced to leave their
homes in the former Yugoslavia after the second world war
(International Herald Tribune 26.10.94).
Right -wing disunited over abortion
The Northern League's speaker of the house, Irene Pivetti,
divided the Italian coalition government when she called for the
repeal of the 1978 law on abortion. Speaking at a Roman Catholic
youth conference she called on Italy's Catholics to reassert
themselves in politics following the collapse of the Christian
Democrats.
The leader of the Northern League was quick to distance himself
from Pivetti, but ministers belonging to the National Alliance
voiced support. Berlusconi's government,however, has already
stated that it will not review the law, despite pressures from
the AN and Vatican officials. Vatican Radio has also broadcast
an interview with the AN environment minister, Altero Matteoli,
in which he called abortion `a kind of homicide' (Guardian 11,
30.8.94).
Government minister makes anti-Semitic remarks
A Labour minister, Clemente Mastella, was quoted in national
newspapers as blaming the recent nose-dive of the Italian lira
at least partly on a `Jewish lobby' in New York worried about the
presence of the AN in the Italian government. Mr. Mastella later
apologised for his remarks following criticism (Jewish Chronicle,
n.d.)
AN accused of anti-Gypsy racism
The AN has put out a leaflet in Rome that demands that Gypsies
be assigned to accommodation in camp-sites located on the
outskirts of cities `in order to ensure that everybody may live
in dignity and free of harassment'. The leaflet is headlined `We
are not racists, but....' (Romnews, no. 12, 3.8.94).
IRR European Race Audit, Bulletin no 11, December 1994. Contact:
Liz Fekete, Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London
WC1X 9HS. Tel: 0171 837 0041