"Is the fascist salute something serious and punishable?" The political week began with the memorial of Acca Larenzia in Rome, when numerous far-right followers came to remember the victims of an ambush perpetrated by an armed left-wing group. In that massacre in 1978, three individuals died. For nearly a century, the deceased have been memorialized on January 7 with the traditional salute of fascist comrades. Thermometer Politico began by asking a question from its weekly survey: "Is the fascist salute something serious and punishable?" Half of those polled feel that "Yes, it is a very serious gesture given the history of this country. It constitutes an apologia for fascism, a crime that requires significantly stricter enforcement." We're talking about 47.1% who reply in this way. Far behind, but as the second most popular response (22.6%) is the one that regards the Roman salute as "a political gesture like any other, non-violent, probably more appreciable than others, there should be no prohibition". This is closely followed by 19.3% of the responses noting that "it is a gesture that I completely disapprove of, but it cannot be illegal in a democracy that protects freedom of expression". Finally, a tiny percentage (9.2%) believe it is serious, "but it should only be illegal if it is explicit propaganda, not if you are commemorating the dead."
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