April 25th is now upon us and the political debate in our country, for a change, is anchored in one word: anti-fascism. On the one hand the left continues to carry out blood tests and distribute certificates of political morality; on the other, the centre-right – whose government representatives have sworn an oath on the Constitution – invites us to look to the future and not to a distant past that will never return. The topic was an element of extensive debate during the last episode of ByTuesdayprogram broadcast on A7 and conducted by Giovanni Floris. The pattern has not changed: do you have an interlocutor in front of you who does not espouse the causes of the left? As a result, the questioning of anti-fascism begins.
It all started from the examination of Ascanio Celestini – actor and writer – who focused attention on the number of deaths in Yugoslavia which however found a prompt reply from Massimo Magliaro, historic spokesperson for Giorgio Almirante. The name of Gaetano Azzariti came up in the discussion, in whose “rehabilitation” process the former communist secretary Palmiro Togliatti also played an important role.
It was precisely Magliaro’s emphasis on Azzariti that triggered Celestini’s reaction, who at that point was unable to hold back his consideration and made it known in no time: “So you’re a fascist…“. Then, turning to the other guest Italo Bocchino, he took things further: “Say that the gentleman is also a fascist so he’ll be happy too“. Very few moments passed and Magliaro, without any hesitation, claimed his positions and hurled a provocative question towards the writer: “Yes, I am. So? What do you want to do with this? Call i carabinieri? I did not understand“.
At that point the conductor Giovanni Floris asked a direct question to Almirante’s former spokesperson, asking him if he considers himself a fascist. “It’s my business“, was Magliaro’s angry response. However, he was keen to point out that he was absolutely not anti-fascist. His exit was followed by a reply from Elisabetta Piccolotti, deputy of the Italian Greens-Left Alliance, who invited the guest into the studio to explain why he did not provide a clear answer on fascism. For her part, Magliaro underlined that he had not committed any crime and reiterated that he had expressed a simple opinion. “Why do I have to answer a question like this? I ask her how often does she eat at home?“, he added.
It is nothing more than one of the many back-and-forths that we will witness in the next few hours.
