Roberto Vannacci has been sowing allusions and winks to the far right for months to prepare the ground for his candidacy in the next European elections, which then materialized with his candidacy in the League. Never, however, had he gone so far as in the video that emerged from some chats reserved for the most “hardened” supporters. In the short and crystal-clear electoral advert, Vannacci invites you to vote for him by “doing the Decima”. He says this by crossing his fingers in an ‘X’ shape. A reference that seems unmistakable to the Decima Mas, the Italian military corps known for having disobeyed the instructions of the new Badoglio government after the armistice of 1943 to instead join the Nazis in the occupation of central-northern Italy, fighting with the Germans and against the allies and the Resistance to shore up the Italian Social Republic, also committing war crimes. «On the appropriate ballot, make a “Tithe” on the League symbol and write Vannacci and we will overwhelm them all with an avalanche of votes. To change this Europe that we don’t like”, says the General in the advert. Which does not appear on the League’s official channels, but was intercepted by a TgLa7 journalist in a chat with the faithful. Now the clip is destined to become public knowledge, and – easy to predict – to unleash a new uproar over Vannacci and Matteo Salvini’s League which has chosen him as the leader in all of Italy for the European Championships on 8 and 9 June. It is not the first time that Decima Mas has entered the public debate. On the occasion of the Armed Forces parade on 2 June 2023, several online users reported an alleged “fascist salute” by a military corps shouting “Decima”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The salute usually given by various units of the Armed Forces in this type of parade is not the fascist one. To date, the military unit Heir to the
The General: «Honor to the pre-1943 exploits of that flotilla»
Vannacci’s staff confirmed after the video became public knowledge that the commercial intended to pay homage to the “heroic exploits” of Decima Mas, while specifying that the clip “was created by some supporters”, as if to say that it was not to be considered “official” electoral material of the League leaders. As regards the content, Vannacci’s staff summarizes the object of the evocation with an took the name of X MAS flotilla”. In the book “Courage wins” General Vannacci recalls how as a boy he was inspired to join the special forces by the exploits carried out by the X Mas flotilla before the armistice. The reference, as already written in the book, is to the exploits of Malta and Alexandria in Egypt, before 8 September”.
Bonelli on the attack
«The appeal to vote spread on social media by the Lega candidate Vannacci in which he invites people to put a “Tithe” on the ballot is an absurd and unacceptable act that profoundly offends historical memory and respect for the victims of Nazi-fascism. Division
estimates from the Atlas of Nazi-Fascist massacres”, attacks Green Europe spokesperson and Avs MP Angelo Bonelli. Adding that «it is necessary to remember that the men of the X Mas Flotilla branded or engraved the “X” of the tithe on the chest of the unfortunates. The bodies of men hung from the trees in the streets
partisans with a sign around their neck that read: “The Tithe has passed.” This deplorable request, on the day of the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Matteotti’s speech which cost him his life at the hands of fascists, is an insult to our democracy and to the values on which our Republic is founded”, claims Bonelli. «These are Giorgia Meloni’s allies who are asking for the fascist vote. It is essential that all democratic forces bluntly condemn this ignoble act and that citizens are aware of the gravity of such symbolic calls”, concludes the leader of Green Europe.
