CasaPound derives its name from Ezra Pound, the American modernist poet who collaborated with Fascist Italy during the Second World War. The organisation was established in December 2003 when activists took over a government-owned property in Rome’s Esquilino district.
A Bari court found 12 members of Italy’s neo-fascist CasaPound group guilty on Thursday for attempting to revive the banned Fascist Party, marking the first judicial decision to formally acknowledge the movement’s fascist character.
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Of the defendants, five were sentenced to 18 months in prison, while seven received two years and six months, also being found guilty of assault, the court reported. Additionally, all twelve face a five-year prohibition on holding political office.
The case originated from an incident on 21 September 2018 in Bari’s Libertà district, where CasaPound members attacked anti-fascist protesters returning from a demonstration against Matteo Salvini, then interior minister and leader of the far-right Lega party.
The court referred to breaches of Articles 1 and 5 of the 1952 Scelba law, which ban the re-establishment of the dissolved Fascist Party and forbid fascist rallies.
The judgement specifically mentioned involvement in «typical fascist demonstrations» and the application of «squadrista (blackshirt) tactics as a means of political engagement».
The opposition largely responded positively to the verdict, with Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein urging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration to disband CasaPound.
«With this ruling in place, the government has no alternative but to act on our persistent calls: to dissolve CasaPound and dismantle neo-fascist groups as stipulated in the constitution,» Schlein declared.
Opposition forces including the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Greens-Left Alliance have pressed Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to deliver an immediate briefing to parliament and mandate the eviction of CasaPound’s occupied headquarters in Rome.
The court also mandated that the accused compensate victims of the assault, among them former MEP Eleonora Forenza and her assistant Antonio Perillo, alongside Giacomo Petrelli and Claudio Riccio.
Other entities, such as the National Association of Italian Partisans and the Communist Refoundation Party, will receive reparations as well.
Inspired by a poet
CasaPound is named after Ezra Pound, the American modernist poet who collaborated with Fascist Italy during World War II. It was formed in December 2003 when activists occupied a public building in Rome’s Esquilino district.
The group participated in the 2013 and 2018 parliamentary elections, garnering under 1% of the vote in both attempts. Afterward, it withdrew from electoral politics and currently functions as a social movement.
In January 2024, Interior Minister Piantedosi denounced fascist salutes at a CasaPound rally in Rome as «contrary to our democratic values.» Nonetheless, he noted that dissolving such organisations is complex, as the law restricts this action to very specific situations.
CasaPound spokesman Luca Marsella stated the group is awaiting the court’s formal decision in writing, emphasizing: «This is a first-instance judgement».
Defense attorneys have announced plans to appeal. The court is expected to provide its written justification within 90 days.
Additional sources • AFP