In Italy's Lake Garda, a small town that housed Italy's last fascist government has recently voted to revoke Benito Mussolini's honorary citizenship.
Mussolini, Italy's leader from 1922 to 1943, also oversaw a Nazi-aligned administration in the northern part of the country from 1943 to 1945, with its base in Salo. Initially, many Italian towns, including this one, conferred honorary citizenship upon Mussolini during the early years of his rule.
Salo's local council, currently under a left-leaning leadership, decided to revoke the symbolic title with a 12-3 majority, following two unsuccessful attempts in recent years. Mayor Francesco Cagnini emphasized the desire to "add a new page with strong symbolic value" by removing the recognition, asserting that Mussolini no longer has a place in modern Italy.
Opposition councillor Erminia Bonfanti criticized the move as "a useless and senseless battle against a ghost," highlighting the controversial nature of the decision. While the exact number of Italian towns still honoring Mussolini is unknown, there are several hundred such cases. Notably, Mussolini's honorary citizenship was rescinded in Florence in 2009, Turin in 2014, and Pisa in 2017.
This issue remains divisive in Italy, as fringe far-right groups, often intertwined with soccer hooligans, continue to celebrate the defunct regime. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was once sympathetic to Mussolini, has distanced herself from her past and positioned herself as a national conservative within the Brothers of Italy party.