Vannacci says he would attend a dinner marking the March on Rome, but sets conditions on 25 April

A dinner for the March on Rome

Roberto Vannacci, leader of the far-right National Future (Futuro Nazionale, FnV), told reporters on Monday, 2 November, that he would attend a dinner commemorating the March on Rome of 28 October 1922, the event that brought Benito Mussolini into government as prime minister. The former general said anyone interested in history should be free to revisit those moments, and he saw no problem with that. Asked whether he would take part himself, he replied:

“Why not? I haven't attended one, but if I were invited to a conference, a dinner, or any occasion where a historical event is commemorated, I make no distinction.”

He also compared such dinners to commemorations of Italian unification and the French Revolution, asking why anyone would be astonished by a dinner on the March on Rome when others go unremarked.

Four dinners in Lombardy

Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that four dinners were organized on 28 October in four cities in Lombardy, all by members of FnV. According to the outlet, the events featured effigies of Mussolini, slogans, black clothing, fasces and other symbols from the Fascist era. When asked about those symbols, Vannacci replied by asking whether anyone at the dinners had proposed re-establishing the Fascist Party, an act that is a crime in Italy.

Conditions on 25 April

Vannacci set separate terms for the 25 April celebrations marking the end of the Fascist regime and the Liberation of Italy. He said he would attend only if the day becomes a holiday of reconciliation, and he added that he had attended 25 April events many times while wearing a uniform, paying tribute to the fallen and the Republic.

“When 25 April becomes a conciliatory holiday, yes. As long as it remains a way to divide the good from the bad, I am sorry, that is not my spirit.”

Separately, Vannacci has been accused of glorifying the Decima Mas, a controversial World War II submariner unit, by repeatedly using its X symbol.

Milan visit and heckling

Vannacci made the remarks during a stop in Milan with FnV mayoral candidate Carmelo Burgio. The visit was organized to show solidarity with shopkeepers after disorder two weeks earlier, and it also turned to security. Near Piazza Duomo, a young woman confronted him over his positions on women and abortion, telling him they were shameful in 2026 and that his ideas were abominable. On security, Vannacci said:

“Civil coexistence is not possible without security guaranteed by the State. Criminals must pay for the criminal acts they commit, not the municipality.”

Polls and agenda

FnV had surged to around 8% in polls, and the most recent figures have it slipping to 7%. Vannacci dismissed the polls showing the decline. His agenda includes remigration, extending to regular immigrants who fail to assimilate into Italian culture, boosting family values, curbing abortion rights, paying people to have more children, banning gender theory from schools, and repealing Italy's recent femicide law. It also includes pursuing rapprochement with Moscow, and he has been accused of glorifying the Decima Mas.