Ferencváros ultras rally in Milan's Piazza Duomo with Mussolini shirts before Europa League match

A gathering before the San Siro match

Several hundred supporters of Ferencváros, a club from Budapest, gathered in Piazza Duomo in central Milan on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The gathering came a few hours before the Europa League match against Milan at San Siro, a fixture in the fourth matchday of the league phase. The fans, many dressed in black, lit dozens of smoke flares in front of the cathedral while chanting and raising their fists. Images of the demonstration were quickly shared online.

The fans are said to belong to the Green Monsters, an ultras group that sources describe as far right. Metro access at the Duomo station on the red line was closed because of the crowd. One report framed the gathering as a political event rather than a football one, citing the slogans, the clothing and the banners.

Banners, shirts and salutes

The most prominent banner, unfurled in front of the cathedral steps, read 'We have to defend Europe'. Several fans wore shirts printed with the face of Benito Mussolini, and one shirt carried the text 'Our faith is Mussolini'. The fans also sang and raised their fists in the footage reviewed. One report described fascist salutes performed during the demonstration. Further banners were directed against the LGBTQ+ community, according to the same report.

The priest and the October clashes

Another banner read 'Respect, father' and showed Father Giannicola Maria Simone, parish priest of the church of Sant'Alessandro di Zebedia in Milan. He became a public figure after showing his middle finger to protesters who had caused clashes and damage in the city on 17 October 2026. The gesture drew wide attention in October, and the Hungarian fans have now taken up the episode, which had already become viral. Of the banners on display, this was the one tied to a specific event in Milan, while the others addressed Europe more broadly.

Open questions and the match

The reports describe several hundred people in total, a figure the sources did not break down further. None had identified any of the fans at the time of reporting, and the reports said so with the qualifier that this was the case for now. The match itself was scheduled for the evening at San Siro, and the reports do not describe its outcome or any incidents inside the stadium. The reports give no details about police presence or arrests. The footage shared online is the main record of the gathering so far.