Italian town councillor sacked for giving fascist salute
January 20th, 2011 - 1:42 pm ICT by IANS
Rapallo (Italy), Jan 20 (IANS/AKI) The mayor of the northwestern Italian coastal town of Rapallo has fired a local councillor who was photographed giving a fascist salute outside a church after a mass to commemorate late fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. In the photographs, culture councillor Gianni Arena was also pictured with fascist era memorabilia, Italy’s La Stampa daily reported Wednesday.
The photos were published by the Liguria region’s Secolo XIX newspaper after they were posted to an Italian fascist sympathiser’s page on the social networking website Facebook.
Rapallo’s mayor Mentore Campodonico sacked Arena as the centre-left opposition Democratic Party was gathering signatures from councillors in support of Arena’s removal from office.
In a statement announcing Arena’s dismissal, Rapallo’s mayor Mentore Campodonico said the “symbolic gravity” of Arena’s fascist salute was “clearly incompatible” with the role of town councillor.
Amid a growing political row sparked by the photos, the ruling conservative People of Freedom party to which Arena belongs had referred him to its disciplinary body, La Stampa said.
Prosecutors in the nearby city of Chiavari are investigating the incident.
–IANS/AKI
rd/vt
- Berlusconi to write memoir on his private life - Aug 24, 2011
- Italian politician jumps to death - May 09, 2012
- Ruby the heart stealer gives birth to girl - Dec 21, 2011
- Mussolini's granddaughter lashes out at Carla Bruni over immigrants - Apr 08, 2011
- Berlusconi says he won't stand for re-election - Nov 09, 2011
- Italy may freeze 3.6 bn euros of Libyan assets - Mar 02, 2011
- Italian singer dies while on tour - Mar 02, 2012
- Mayor in Italy gets 10 kg trash - Jul 02, 2011
- Rome mayor receives bullet through mail - Apr 14, 2011
- Abducted Italian journalists freed in Libya (Lead) - Aug 25, 2011
- Churchill 'ordered assassination of Mussolini to protect secret letters' - Sep 03, 2010
- Italian soldier killed in Afghan blast - Jul 12, 2011
- US 'Jersey Shore' series to film in Florence - Apr 21, 2011
- Italy bans New Year fireworks to protect pets - Dec 29, 2011
- Four tonnes of banned fireworks seized in Italy - Dec 30, 2011
Tags: campodonico, coastal town, councillors, dictator benito, disciplinary body, facebook, fascist dictator, fascist salute, freedom party, italian town, la stampa, liguria region, local councillor, mentore, mussolini, nearby city, networking website, secolo xix, social networking, town councillor