Giorgia Meloni's party is accused of having links to neo-fascist donations

Politicians have called on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to ban neo-fascist groups after she was previously accused of donating money to far-right groups through an organisation linked to her Brothers of Italy party.

The “Alliance Nationale” foundation, which shares the flame symbol of the “Brothers of Italy” and whose board includes two leading figures of the party, is said to have donated tens of thousands of euros to two right-wing extremist causes in recent years.

The Domani newspaper reported on Friday that the foundation helped Acca Larentia, a neo-fascist group that openly celebrates far-right terrorists, acquire a new headquarters in Via Acca Larentia in Rome in July last year.

Every year a memorial service is held in Via Acca Larentia for the murder of two members of the Youth Front in 1978. Wing of the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI). Every year dozens of far-right sympathizers meet there to honor the victims with fascist salutes.

In addition, La Repubblica reported on Saturday that the foundation donated 30,000 euros in 2021 to the advocacy group Vicit Leo, which at the time campaigned against the use of vaccines.

The group is said to have been founded in 2020 by Roberto Fiore, the leader of the neo-fascist political movement Forza Nuova, known for its xenophobic and homophobic views. Fiore was sentenced to more than eight years in prison after members of the movement stormed the headquarters of the CGIL trade union in 2021.

News of the donations sparked an angry reaction from opposition politicians: Angelo Bonelli, leader of the Green Europe party, demanded that Meloni disclose the amount of donations to right-wing extremist causes, and Sandro Ruotolo, culture spokesman for the Democratic Party, called on her to ban “organizations reminiscent of fascism.”

• Meloni's party tries to escape the shadow of fascist nostalgia
• Giorgia Meloni: Don't associate me with the fascist bombing in Bologna

Meloni's alleged links to the far right have come under fire since her election two years ago. The Brothers of Italy party, founded in 2012, grew out of the National Alliance, the successor to the MSI. While Meloni claims she has “left fascism in the past”, critics accuse her of not going far enough.

The National Alliance Foundation, which took over the party's assets after its dissolution in 2009 and is valued at 200 million euros, has been described in newspapers as the “safe” of the Brothers of Italy. Its board members include Arianna Meloni, the Prime Minister's sister, who is also party secretary and member representative, and Fabio Rampelli, vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies.

Giuseppe Valentino, president of the National Alliance Foundation, denied the reported donations, claiming: “There are no economic relations with the party headed by Giorgia Meloni, other than the rental of some offices on Italian territory at market value.”