In a landmark ruling in Bari, Southern Italy, twelve members of the neo-fascist group CasaPound were convicted for their efforts to revive a disbanded fascist party, marking the first application of a law aimed at banning such reorganizations. The case, which began in 2018, stemmed from an incident where CasaPound members assaulted participants at a protest against Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League party and former Minister of the Interior. The convicted individuals received sentences of one and a half years, with seven of them facing an additional year in prison for their role in the assault.

The conviction has led to renewed calls from opposition leaders for the government to take decisive action against such extremist groups. Elly Schlein, the leader of the center-left Democratic Party, urged Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government to ban CasaPound, arguing that there is now a legal justification for dismantling neo-fascist organizations in Italy. Schlein emphasized that the government has no choice but to act on the ruling and disband the group, which has long been a point of contention in Italian politics.

This case highlights the ongoing challenges Italy faces with far-right extremism and the complexities of balancing freedom of expression with the need to protect public order. As the political landscape in Italy evolves, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the opposition’s demands and whether it will take stronger measures against groups like CasaPound in the future, especially given the recent ruling that sets a legal precedent for the treatment of neo-fascist organizations.