Italy celebrated its Liberation Day, marking the anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule. The event was overshadowed by a media controversy involving suspected censorship by state-run RAI television. The controversy stemmed from the decision to spike a planned Liberation Day monologue by Italian author Antonio Scurati, who criticized fascism and Premier Giorgia Meloni. Meloni’s election as the first hard-right leader in post-World War II Italy has reignited criticism of the country’s failure to fully address its fascist past.
In an attempt to address the issue, Meloni published Scurati’s essay on her Facebook page, accusing the left-wing opposition of creating a scandal. The essay highlighted historical incidents that portrayed fascism as a violent and irredeemable phenomenon. While Meloni has distanced her party, Brothers of Italy, from its neo-fascist roots and forged ties with Italy’s Jewish community, critics argue that she has failed to firmly declare herself as “anti-fascist.” Despite this, Meloni celebrated Liberation Day as the end of fascism and the establishment of democracy, pledging opposition to totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella emphasized the importance of remembering the Nazi-fascist atrocities of World War II during the Liberation Day commemorations. He laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Rome and visited the site of a 1944 Nazi massacre in Tuscany. Mattarella urged Italians to never forget the massacres, murders, deportations, and other violations that occurred on Italian soil during the war. RAI has launched an internal investigation into the decision to censor Scurati’s monologue, adding to the controversy surrounding the issue.
The censorship controversy has drawn attention to Scurati’s text critical of Meloni’s party, sparking calls for mayors to quote from it in their Liberation Day speeches. The incident has reignited tensions in Italy, particularly amidst Israel’s war in Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the country. Despite this, Italy’s association of partisans who fought against Nazi and fascist forces proceeded with Liberation Day marches, affirming the importance of an anti-fascist republic. The legacy of Italian complicity in the Holocaust and World War II-era crimes continues to be a contentious issue in the country as it grapples with its fascist past.
