Mussolini's heir on Israel trip as Italian party alters image

[Aidoneus]

Mussolini's heir on Israel trip as Italian party alters image

Sophie Arie in Rome
Monday November 24, 2003
The Guardian

Gianfranco Fini, leader of the Alleanza Nazionale and Italy's deputy prime minister, began an official visit to Israel yesterday in an attempt to remake his party's neo-fascist image and fashion himself as a respectable conservative leader.

Mr Fini, who founded the AN out of the ashes of Benito Mussolini's Movimento Socialista Italiana (MSI) in 1994, has turned the party line around in the past 10 years.

In 1994 he called Mussolini the greatest politician of the 20th century. Eight years later he retracted the comment, condemning him for racial laws that led to the deportation of 6,000 Italian Jews to Nazi death camps.

He has now become one of Europe's most vociferous supporters of Israel. Despite EU concern at Israel's "security fence" in the West Bank, and the Pope's comment that "the Holy Land doesn't need walls, but bridges", Mr Fini has supported the barrier as a necessary means of self-defence.

--snip--

Mr Sharon described Italy as "the closest friend we have in Europe". "Fini is a good and friendly leader," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "I know of the criticism aimed at him, but I think it's a good thing he's coming to Israel ... It is time to look to the future, not to the past."

--snip--

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1091705,00.html

[Paschall]

1. Fini retracted his comments on Mussolini...

In Jan. 2002: "His sense of timing has not deserted him - Mr Fini's new, politically correct opinion was expressed just a day before the Italian government announced that he would be representing the country on the EU's constitutional convention, a considerable achievement for the leader of a party that was not invited to participate in the writing of Italy's post-war constitution."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,638579,00.html

It apparently took him several months to consider the problem of fascist persecution of Italian Jews. Because he didn't issue an apology for the deportation of 6000 Jews under Mussolini until Sept. 2002.

As a "friend of Israel" he's barely dry behind the ears, this Mr. Fini.

[bluesoul]

2. Fini still is

supported by many neofascists on his gatherings and they know fully why they support him. He may say a lot of things, yet it doesn't change the fact what he really is and always was. We're not all fooled mr Fini. We know you from before...

[edzontar]

3. Mr. Soul is correct....

Fini is a very slick and capable politician, but his followers, for the most part, know perfectly well what their party's "real" views on race are.

Israel may be an issue that the AN wants to embrace/exploit, but the real test of racial attitudes in Italy comes when the matter of refugess and immigrants from Africa and the ex-Yugoslavia comes up.

For those people, Mr. Fini and his followers have a completely different message--get out!

[Paschall]

4. Quite

See the story in LBN regarding Sharon's interview in which he slams Europe for its anti-Semitism.

He says clearly that his government and Italy have a good entente on the separation wall: Italy understands Israel is merely doing what Berlusconi's government is trying to do to stop immigration from Albania and North Africa. AARRGH!!!

Of course I see Fini's recent "conversion" like I see Jean-Marie Le Pen's (neo-fascist French National Front party) endorsement of human rights in Africa. Le Pen fully supports human rights and liberal democracy for Africans and Arabs in their home countries. No question, of course, of offering the same rights to Arab and African immigrants in France. AARRGHH!

[tinnypriv]

5. "Facist or anti-semite" - Yossi Sarid

Sums it up quite nicely.

[Classical_Liberal]

6. Ever read "Universal Fascism" by Michael Ladeen

What is really happening here is that the neocons that run both Israeli and American foriegn policy think Fascism was a good form of government except for it's antisemitism.

Flirting with Fascism


Neocon theorist Michael Ledeen draws more from Italian fascism than from the American Right.


By John Laughland

On the antiwar Right, it has been customary to attack the warmongering neoconservative clique for its Trotskyite origins. Certainly, the founding father of neoconservatism, Irving Kristol, wrote in 1983 that he was “proud” to have been a member of the Fourth International in 1940. Other future leading lights of the neocon movement were also initially Trotskyites, like James Burnham and Max Kampelman—the latter a conscientious objector during the war against Hitler, a status that Evron Kirkpatrick, husband of Jeane, used his influence to obtain for him. But there is at least one neoconservative commentator whose personal political odyssey began with a fascination not with Trotskyism, but instead with another famous political movement that grew up in the early decades of the 20th century: fascism. I refer to Michael Ledeen, leading neocon theoretician, expert on Machiavelli, holder of the Freedom Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, regular columnist for National Review—and the principal cheerleader today for an extension of the war on terror to include regime change in Iran.

http://amconmag.com/06_30_03/feature.html

[Paschall]

7. Thanks very much for the link

Truly chilling!

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[edzontar]

9. Not funny--but representative, I think.

nt

[foo_bar]

10. what pro-Sharon crowd?

I know you can't name names or reference posts, because it would violate forum rules. And yet, calling out a (arguably unrepresented) group of people is justifiable in the third person. In that vein, one could say they hope the Nazi apologists discard their morbid fascination with Jews long enough to take interest in Foreign Affairs not pertaining to their skins vs shirts soccer rivalry.

[tinnypriv]

11. In which case

What are you doing here?

Oy vey.

[foo_bar]

12. pointing out the obvious

Or hok'ing a chainik, as some would say.

[tinnypriv]

13. LOL

You could do that all day down here ;-)