Rewriting history : the good fascism

Historical revisionism is quite trendy in Europe to try to hide what fascism and Nazism did. The number of so-called historians denying or diminishing the importance of the Nazis gas chambers is increasing in Europe. Politicians are quite active also in this field. Remember Le Pen, the right wing French politicians declaring that the gas chambers (and related millions of deaths) were a simple “detail” of the German history.

People reading my blog, very few so far I admit according to the counters, may think that I am obsessed by Fascism in the Italian Government. True, Mr. Fini, the leader of the main party allied with Berlusconi, Alleanza Nazionale (AN), the heir of the openly fascist MSI, and now Chairman of the Chamber, five years ago went to Jerusalem and, a Kippa on his head, declared that Fascism had been the “absolute evil”. Some members of his party did not accept this statement and contested it openly.

The other day, Mr. Alemanno, the major of Rome, also a member of AN, was in Jerusalem. Of course he wore a Kippa.. He stated that indeed the racial laws, promulgated in 1938 by Mussolini, which forced Jews out of public service and started the repression in Italy, had been the “absolute evil”. Fascism had not been “the absolute evil and I do not f eel I could condemn it”. Yes a representative of the majority leading Italy under the leadership of Berlusconi, goes to Jerusalem to defend fascism.

And the chair of the MPs of Berlusconi’s majority, Mr. Cicchito, defended Alemanno stating that “he had said things that had some basis”. Fortunately the Jewish community reacted. So did the left.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the 1943 armistice between Italy and the allies which marked that beginning of the real Nazi occupation of Italy. There was a ceremony to remember the defense of Rome by partisans and the population at large against the Nazi and fascist troops. And, in the course of his speech, another member of AN, now even Minister of Defense, stated that also the “repubblichini”, those who adhered to the so-called “Repubblica di Salò”, needed to be celebrated because from “their point of view, fought believing that they were defending their homeland”.

The so-called Repubblica di Salò was a bureaucratic political and military structure, created by Nazi Germany to “administer Italy”. After it was created, this so-called Republic was recognized only by Germany, Japan, Switzerland (yes!) and San Marino. It was de facto controlled by Germany and its army was trained there, the Nazis having no faith in the Italian soldiers: indeed these formed a big component of the partisans fighting against Nazis.

It is interesting to note article 7 of the de-facto constitution of the Repubblica di Salò: “Those who belong to the Jewish race are foreigners. During the war they belong to an enemy nation”.

The creation of such a Republic was the start to the Jews hunting in Italy. As mentioned in Wikipedia, reliable statistics collected by Liliana Picciotto Fargion, Jews deported to Germany were arrested by Italian members of the Repubblica di Salò apparatus, 4.44 by German and Italians together and 35.49 by Germans alone ( there are no data for the remaining 32.99%).

The Repubblica di Salò also created the infamous “Brigate nere”, para-military groups used by the Germans especially to fight partisans and famous for the killing of women and kids, burning of villages, torture etc.

So in 2008, a Minister of Berlusconi’s government praises the Nazi-fascist Repubblica di Salò while at the same time the major of Rome, belonging to the new Berlusconi’s party, defends fascism.

And what Berlusconi says? Nothing. What would you expect from him who never goes to the celebrations for the liberation of Italy from the German occupation on 25 April 1945? It is time for the Jewish community worldwide, and for all democrats, to start opposing Berlusconi and his Government. Time for smiles is gone.

Photo : fascist Ignazio La Russa. Defence Minister in Berlusconi's Government. Source: www.gossip.it