Blackshirts were the paramilitary wing of Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party.
Opposing marches were staged in Bologna by members of the far-right Casa Pound and Rete dei Patrioti organisations and leftist collectives and anarchists.
The mayor said the city was instead demanding funding in the wake of devastating flooding.
“I wonder how it is possible that once again Bologna is not respected,” said Lepore, a member of the left-wing Democratic Party.
Recalling that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to visit the city on Monday, Lepore said “they sent us 300 blackshirts, instead we would like to ask again for funding for the flood”.
“Top government ministers and the prime minister have come in three days, and exactly in the middle [of their visits] the Patrioti and CasaPound arrive.
“Public order should not have been managed in this way, I think the interior minister owes an explanation to the city of Bologna,” concluded the mayor.
On Saturday, anti-riot police clashed with demonstrators who were taking part in an anti-fascist march organised by left-wing collectives in Bologna against the nearby members of the far-right.
The two demonstrations were held a week before regional elections in Emilia Romagna on November 17-18.
ANSA
