Rome appeals court upholds jail terms for far-right leaders over 2021 trade union assault

Appeals court decision

Judges of the first section of the Rome Court of Appeal rejected all defense appeals on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, and upheld the seven first-instance convictions for the raid on the national headquarters of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL). The decision fully granted the motions presented by Prosecutor General Francesco Scavo, who had requested the confirmation of the sentences during hearings in January 2026. The court determined that the original legal framework and sanctions remained entirely valid for all seven individuals tried in the main proceeding. The defendants were convicted on varying counts of aggravated devastation in conspiracy, multi-aggravated resistance to a public official, and incitement to commit a crime.

Prison terms for far-right leaders

The appellate judges upheld a prison term of eight years and seven months for Giuliano Castellino, the Rome leader of the far-right party Forza Nuova. Roberto Fiore, the national leader of Forza Nuova, and Luigi Aronica, a former member of the neo-fascist militant group Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari (NAR), both saw their sentences of eight years and six months confirmed. The court also reaffirmed prison terms of eight years and two months each for Luca Castellini, Salvatore Lubrano, Lorenzo Franceschi, and Pamela Testa. Fiore, Castellino, and Aronica were specifically convicted of incitement to commit a crime in addition to devastation and resisting police.

Fiore delivered spontaneous statements at the opening of the court session before the judges withdrew to deliberate:

There has been an incredible press campaign on this trial to which it was not possible to reply. There is a charged atmosphere, of those who want to give a specific reading to this trial.

Fiore, who was accompanied in court by his children, made no further statement following the announcement of the verdict. Aronica did not attend the hearing.

The 2021 raid on trade union offices

The convictions originate from an anti-vaccine passport demonstration held on 9 October 2021 in Rome, where more than 10,000 people assembled in Piazza del Popolo. The crowd protested the Green Pass certificate mandate implemented by the cabinet of Prime Minister Mario Draghi, which required workers to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or recent negative test results to enter workplaces. The rally included members of Forza Nuova, the hospitality business collective Io apro, and minor radical-left factions.

The protest subsequently splintered into distinct groups across the Italian capital. While one section marched toward government buildings and engaged in street clashes with police officers, another contingent headed directly to the CGIL offices on Corso d'Italia. The crowd forced its way into the building and ransacked the ground floor, accusing union leadership of complicity in government health mandates and failing to defend worker rights.

Evidence and procedural timeline

The judicial case against the seven defendants was established through police video recordings alongside images and video footage filmed and published on social media platforms by the participants during the incursion. The initial criminal inquiry was led by public prosecutor Gianfederica Dito, who subsequently became chief prosecutor in Arezzo. In December 2023, the primary trial court imposed the initial prison terms ranging from eight years and two months to eight years and seven months. The appellate ruling concludes the second-instance phase of the proceedings, maintaining the custodial sentences in full.