“Remigration and Reconquest” march: chants of “Duce, Duce”. Counter-demonstration at Verano

“Immigration cannot continue to be portrayed as a resource; people are fed up with hypocrisy and lies,” say the organisers. “Drastic measures are needed to tackle illegal immigration, sending back anyone who thinks they can come to Italia and lay down the law.”

The bill backed by the committee, the promoters explain, aims to “crack down on illegal immigration, deport criminals and impose heavy penalties on Italians who exploit and profit from migration flows”.

As the march set off, slogans were also chanted against anti-fascists and communists. “Where are the anti-fascists?” shouted some demonstrators before the march began. Then came the chant: “If you don’t jump, you’re a communist.”

The chairman of the Remigration and Reconquest Committee, Luca Marsella, also commented on General Roberto Vannacci, distancing himself from the general’s views: ‘We do not identify with what Vannacci says because we are interested in facts. When he goes there, he won’t achieve anything.’

Moments of tension and references to fascism during the ‘Remigration and Reconquest’ march. In Via Cola di Rienzo, along the route towards Piazza Risorgimento, the demonstrators repeatedly chanted ‘Duce, duce’. Halfway through the march, some participants urged a woman leaning out of the window of her home to give the fascist salute.

Following the woman’s gesture, the procession broke into Roman salutes, applause and chants praising Mussolini, even altering the lyrics of a song being played over the loudspeakers. There were also protests from the windows of some buildings. As the march passed by, several shopkeepers temporarily closed their premises: some watched from behind their shop windows, others lowered their shutters, and others secured the entrances to their businesses.

“Over 10,000” people took part in the march organised by the Remigration and Reconquest Committee in Rome, according to the organisers, who speak of “over 10,000 citizens taking to the streets to clamour for the approval and implementation of the proposed law, which has already gathered over 150,000 signatures”. “Today’s square, packed with people and Italian flags,” they say, “is proof of a country that no longer wants to accept excuses and do-goodism. Illegal immigration must be stopped and irregular migrants repatriated. Our cities have already suffered far too much from the effects of European pro-immigration policies: it is time to say enough is enough’. “Now the Houses of Parliament must listen to the voice of the people who have taken to the streets, of Italians who are no longer willing to put up with this: Repatriation now. Pass the law!” conclude the organisers of the march, which was joined by several far-right groups.

At the same time, a demonstration organised by student groups, anti-fascist movements and social organisations set off from Piazzale del Verano in response to the ‘remigration’ march.

Among the banners and slogans displayed by the demonstrators are the following: ‘Together, we reject racism, war and exploitation’, ‘Let’s expose the instigators of “remigration” and ProVita. Let’s oust the Meloni government’ and ‘Stop evictions, clearances and repossessions’.

Several hundred people are taking part in the counter-march. Groups present include the Unione Sindacale di Base, the Rete dei Comunisti, Potere al Popolo, housing rights movements, pro-Palestine collectives, social centres, and anarchist and activist groups.

Opening the event, one of the organisers explained over a megaphone that the march was not intended merely as an anti-fascist response, but aimed to broaden the protest to include issues such as war, exploitation and the situation in Palestine.

“This march is not just about expressing our opposition to fascism; it is about saying no to imperialism and standing against the genocide in Palestine,” said one of the organisers. “Together, we are standing up to those in power and to this government.”

The march then set off towards Porta Pia. The organisers’ stated aim was to arrive symbolically beneath the windows of Minister Matteo Salvini’s office. ‘Not to bear witness, but to tell him that he must leave now and immediately,’ was the message at the start. From the lorry at the head of the procession, one of the organisers emphasised the symbolic aim of reaching Matteo Salvini: ‘We’ll bring him our gifts; we’re not coming in peace.’

The organisers of the protest hope that the event will be ‘combative from start to finish, vibrant and packed with substance’.

“We are here today in this square first and foremost because we are angry that the rally in the Prati district in favour of forced repatriation was not banned; we believe that platform is contrary to the Constitution”: said Natale Cola, secretary of the CGIL trade union in Rome and Lazio, during the demonstration which set off from the Colosseum and was joined by social centres, anti-fascist associations, the national ANPI, anti-violence centres and migrant support services in the capital, as well as various student organisations. “We call on the political forces that support forced repatriation to address the real issues,” added Cola.

Among the day’s events was the national ‘Choose Life’ march, organised by Pro Vita & Famiglia, which proceeded from Piazza della Repubblica to Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano. According to the organisers, 20,000 people took part. From the stage, spokespersons Massimo Gandolfini and Maria Rachele Ruiu reiterated the need to protect life “from conception to natural death”, also recalling the words of Pope Leo XIV on the defence of human life as the “goal of civilisation”.

During the event, Pro Vita & Famiglia reiterated some of its key causes: support for the birth rate, a ban on the morning-after pill and the five-day-after pill, the repeal of the circular on medical abortion using RU486, and a halt to techniques which, according to the organisers, involve the production, selection, freezing and disposal of embryos. Among those present at the event were MEP Paolo Inselvini, MP Maddalena Morgante, Regional Councillor Simona Baldassarre, Lazio Regional Councillor Chiara Iannarelli and former Senator Simone Pillon. A message was received from Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, whilst Monsignor Antonio Suetta, Bishop of Ventimiglia-San Remo and promoter of the ‘Campane per la Vita’ initiative, took part in the march.

The day in Rome is marked by two politically opposing demonstrations. The police are stationed in the areas affected by the two marches, with particular attention being paid to the Prati district, where the streets just a stone’s throw from St Peter’s have been cordoned off to allow the “Remigration and Reconquest” march to pass through.