The secretary of Rome’s Democratic Party (PD), Enzo Foschi, has condemned the reappearance of a freshly repainted Celtic cross at the site of the Acca Larentia killings in the Tuscolano district, calling it “an unacceptable act.”
“The arrogance of those who feel they are above the law,” stated Foschi. “We demand that this shameful symbol be removed again and that those responsible be identified. Rome is not and never will be a city open to fascists.”
The cross, a symbol often associated with far-right groups, had been the subject of a political motion. In January 2024, following controversy around the annual commemoration of the event, the VII Municipality of Rome, which is led by the PD, voted by a majority to order its removal along with other graffiti. While the official erasure never fully took place, the symbol had since faded almost completely.
However, on the morning of yesterday, the cross was meticulously redrawn and repainted. The site, in a piazza in front of the historic headquarters of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), is where far-right groups gather every January 7th. The gathering is held to commemorate the killing of young members of the Youth Front in 1978, a ritual that typically involves the Roman salute and the cry “presente!”. This time, militants took it upon themselves to restore the old, time-worn graffiti. The renewal of the symbol is clearly visible in photographs taken from nearby buildings.