Probe launched into fascist chants at Italian ruling party’s youth wing

Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation after a video circulated showing a group of young people chanting fascist slogans at a local branch of the ruling right-wing party, media reports said Friday.

The Parma Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it launched an inquiry after a video circulated online showing the group singing fascist chants and hymns at the Parma headquarters of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, the ANSA news agency reported.

"No criminal charges have been filed yet, we are still verifying whether the incident took place as reported and if it may constitute a crime," chief prosecutor Alfonso D’Avino told ANSA as footage sparked widespread outrage.

Meanwhile, the Digos, the police’s special investigative unit, has been tasked with examining the footage and identifying those involved.

The video is believed to have been recorded Oct. 28, the anniversary of fascist demonstrators and Blackshirt paramilitaries' march on Rome in 1922.

The chants, reportedly performed inside the premises on Borgo del Parmigianino, included the fascist-era song, “Me ne frego” and cries of "Duce, Duce."

Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein labelled the incident as "very serious" and urged Meloni to distance herself from it.

Emilia-Romagna PD secretary Luigi Tosiani also condemned the chants as "a disgrace to the values of a region that fought and died for liberation."

Separately, Parma Mayor Michele Guerra denounced the episode, asserting that the city "will never accept propaganda from a dark and shameful past."

AA