Far-right ‘Remigration’ rally in Rome with fascist salutes met by tens of thousands at pro-migrant counter-march

A tense Saturday in the capital

Four separate demonstrations brought Rome to a standstill on Saturday, with more than 1,500 police deployed to keep rival groups apart. The questore (police chief) Roberto Massucci described the day as one of intense commitment, stressing that the forces were present to enable peaceful expression of divergent views, not to oppose any group.

The ‘Remigration’ march and the 50,000-signature petition

The afternoon cortege, organised by the committee Remigrazione e Riconquista, drew approximately 3,000 participants from across Italy. Many wore black shirts and waved Italian tricolours, while the lead banner read “Remigrazione e riconquista” – the name of a popular legislative initiative that advocates sweeping immigration restrictions.

“We want to kick the illegal immigrants out – force them out, because they shouldn't be here. And since we're not politically correct, we'll say we want to send the legal immigrants home, too – the ones who clearly haven't assimilated or integrated.”

During the march, numerous participants raised their arms in a fascist salute and chanted “Duce! Duce!”, a reference to the dictator Benito Mussolini. The petition behind the rally, which proposes coercive returns and incentives for immigrants to leave Italy, surpassed the 50,000 signatures required to trigger a parliamentary debate, pushing the once-fringe concept of “remigration” into the political mainstream.

Legal challenges and a divided coalition

The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and legal experts, who argue it would violate constitutional and international anti-discrimination principles by targeting people based on ethnic background, including naturalised citizens and their descendants.

“The so-called remigration bill invokes a logic of exclusion based on ethnic and cultural background that is incompatible with the Italian constitution and the fundamental principles of the rule of law.”

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition is split over the initiative. While the anti-immigration League, led by Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini, backs opening the parliamentary debate, Meloni's Brothers of Italy and its centrist allies have shown caution, wary of endorsing a text linked to extremist circles.

“Immigrants can stay if they accept our rules of coexistence, otherwise they must return to their countries of origin. This applies particularly to those who commit crimes and are caught red-handed once, twice, three or four times.”

Counter-demonstrations across the city

Tens of thousands of pro-immigration activists, including left-wing organisations and trade unions, gathered in another part of the city, with some displaying Palestinian flags. Meanwhile, student collectives and antifascist movements staged a protest outside the Ministry of Infrastructure, setting fire to a cardboard bulldozer and tank as symbolic “gifts” for Minister Salvini. No incidents or attempts to breach police lines were reported.

Vannacci launches new party to the right of Meloni

In a venue near the far-right march, MEP Roberto Vannacci held the constituent assembly of his new party, Futuro Nazionale. A former League member, he is positioning himself to the right of Meloni’s ultraconservative coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

“You are either with us, guardians of citizenship and sovereignism, or you are with von der Leyen, Draghi and globalism.”

Vannacci, who has eight deputies in the European Parliament, barred journalists from the congress but streamed it online. He later told reporters that, in his view, nobody should be allowed to enter Italy at the moment.