The town cashing in on fascist tourists Mussolini’s birthplace welcomes far right
ENGLISH fascists are flocking to the crypt of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and snapping up vile far-right souvenirs.
The tourists fuel a roaring trade in shops which sell everything from swastika armbands to far-right flags, badges and smiley Hitler T-shirts – even Nazi-themed baby clothes.
One shop owner said: “The English are some of our biggest customers, along with Italians and French. They come here because this is where Mussolini is buried.”
The founder of fascism, who seized power in Italy in 1922, was responsible for the deaths of 400,000.
He was shot dead in 1945 and his body was taken to Mi lan and hung from a girder at a petrol station for all to see. The remains were hidden until 1957, when they were interred in Predappio, 60 miles north-east of Florence.
The site is currently opened just three times a year. But now the local right-wing mayor wants it available all year so his town can exploit a rise in interest coinciding with an increase of far-right activity in Europe.
July 29 was one of the open days,
commemorating the dictator’s birth in the town in 1883. Busloads of saluting fascists descended on the town on Monday.
Some performed far-right salutes and shouted about sending their enemies “to the ovens”.
One of the shopkeepers catering to the fascist interest is Pierluigi Pompignoli, who owns Predappio Tricolore.
He claims products on sale, including busts of Hitler and Mussolini are “antiques”, despite them appearing new. He said: “We’re not doing anything wrong.”
Asked if he is a fascist, white-haired Pierluigi, said: “I am a Mussolini supporter. I want the crypt opened because it will be good for business. Shops here need the extra business.”
Predappio’s mayor Roberto Canali was elected in May in a major gain for the farright. Traditional centrists were wiped out by the nationalist anti-immigration candidates in the European elections.
This led to Matteo Salvini, now Italy’s deputy PM, winning big with his Lega
Nord party in a shock result.
Local man Mr Canali says he is not a Mussolini supporter, but wants to open the dictator’s crypt full time as it could bring in £1million a year to the town’s shops and cafés.
Sitting in his grand office where Mussolini once sat, he said: “I think it could bring 100,000 visitors a year to the town. I met with Mussolini’s great-grandson Caio on Sunday and he said he would like it reopened, but it is a personal decision so we can’t push them too much.
“I hope the crypt will be open by the end of this year.”
Asked if he knows the Tricolore shop sells swastika arms bands and SS material, he claimed: “They can sell souvenirs because they comply with the law, but maybe they should keep a lower profile.”
Former mayor Giorgio Frassinetti, of the centreleft, tried to ban the shops, but said: “I couldn’t push through the legislation.
“Predappio began to lose its dignity when these shops opened. People who came last week were shouting ‘ send them to the ovens’. It is terrible.”
Miro Gori, who fights fascism and the glorification of Mussolini, said: “The fascist behaviour of visitors goes against Italy’s constitution. This kind of tourism is worse than sick.”