Ignazio Benito Maria La Russa (born 18 July 1947) is an Italian politician who is serving as
President of the Senate of the Republic since 13 October 2022. He is the first politician with a
neo-fascist
Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration s ...
background to hold the position of President of the Senate, the second highest-ranking office of the Italian Republic.
La Russa also served as
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
in the
Berlusconi IV Cabinet from 2008 to 2011, and as Vice President of the
Senate of the Republic from 2018 until 2022. Moreover, during his long-time career, he held various posts within his parties. In 2008, he became acting president of the
National Alliance, which on 29 March 2009 merged into
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia a ...
, of which he was one of the three national coordinators until 17 December 2012, when he launched
Brothers of Italy
Brothers of Italy ( it, Fratelli d'Italia, FdI) is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Italy. It is led by Giorgia Meloni, the incumbent Prime Minister of Italy and the first woman to serve in the position. Accor ...
(FdI). From 4 April 2013 to 8 March 2014, La Russa served as president of FdI.
Early life and family
Ignazio La Russa was born in
Paternò
Paternò ( scn, Patennò) is a southern Italian town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale.
Geography
Paternò ...
, near
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, in 1947. His father, Antonino La Russa, served as secretary of the
National Fascist Party
The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...
(PNF) for Paternò during the 1940s and joined the
Italian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement ( it, Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national ...
(MSI) after the war, being elected to the Parliament several times. La Russa had two brothers, both of them involved in politics:
Vincenzo
Vincenzo is an Italian male given name, derived from the Latin name Vincentius (the verb ''vincere'' means to win or to conquer). Notable people with the name include:
Art
* Vincenzo Amato (born 1966), Italian actor and sculptor
*Vincenzo Bell ...
, a former senator for
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
(DC), and
Romano
Romano may refer to:
Food
* Pecorino Romano, a hard, salty Italian cheese
* Romano cheese, an American English and Canadian English term for a class of cheeses
Places Italy Municipalities in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Latium
* Arcinazzo Ro ...
, a former
member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
for the MSI's legal successor, the
National Alliance.
When he was 13, his family moved to
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, where his father was a practising
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
. After attending college in
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website ...
, a
German-speaking Swiss
The Swiss people (german: die Schweizer, french: les Suisses, it, gli Svizzeri, rm, ils Svizzers) are the citizens of Switzerland or people of Swiss ancestry.
The number of Swiss nationals has grown from 1.7 million in 1815 to 8.7 millio ...
canton, he obtained a degree in
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
at the
University of Pavia
The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...
. After serving as a Regular Army Reserve Officer, he has worked as a criminal defence lawyer at the
Supreme Court of Cassation. He is married to Laura De Cicco and has three sons: Geronimo, Lorenzo, and Leonardo.
Political career
During his youth, La Russa joined the
neo-fascist
Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration s ...
Italian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement ( it, Movimento Sociale Italiano, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national ...
(MSI), and was involved in nationalist activism in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. In 1971, he became one of the main leaders of the newly-formed
Youth Front (FdG), the youth section of the MSI. On 12 April 1973, during a demonstration organized by the MSI against what they called "red violence", two hand grenades were thrown, one of which killed the 22-year-old policeman Antonio Marino. La Russa was accused of being one of the "moral perpetrators" of the bombings.
In the
1985 Lombard regional election, La Russa was elected regional councillor for the Milan district, gaining 24,096 votes. In the
1990 Lombard regional election, he was re-elected to the council with 13,807 votes. In 1987, La Russa became the lawyer of
Sergio Ramelli's family, a young member of the MSI who was assassinated by far-leftist
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
militants. Moreover, from 1989 to 1994, he was town councillor in
San Donato Milanese
San Donato Milanese (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan. It is served by the San Donato underground station right on the borderline betw ...
, near Milan.
Member of the Parliament
![Ignazio La Russa 1992](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Ignazio_La_Russa_1992.jpg)
In the
1992 Italian general election
The 1992 Italian general election was held on 5 and 6 April 1992.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1048 They were the first without the traditionally second most important political force in Italian p ...
, La Russa was elected both to the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
with 26,098 votes for the constituency of
Milan–Pavia, and to the
Senate of the Republic for the constituency of Milan II with 4,943 votes. After the election, he left the Lombardy Regional Council, and choose to be a member of the Chamber of Deputies. The electoral law of that time allowed a candidate to run for election as representative for both the Senate and the Chamber: if the candidate obtained sufficient votes to be elected to both, he had to opt for one of the two houses.
In 1994, the MSI merged with conservative factions of the former
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
and the
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party ( it, Partito Liberale Italiano, PLI) was a liberal and conservative political party in Italy.
The PLI, which is the heir of the liberal currents of both the Historical Right and the Historical Left, was a minor party ...
, forming a new party called
National Alliance (AN) which was launched in 1994 but was officially founded in January 1995. Former MSI members dominated the new party, and the MSI's last leader,
Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini (born 3 January 1952) is an Italian politician who served as the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2008 to 2013. He is the former leader of the far-right Italian Social Movement, the conservative National Allianc ...
, was elected the new party's first leader. Fini appointed La Russa vice president of the party. In the
1994 Italian general election
The 1994 Italian general election was held on 27 and 28 March 1994 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic for the 12th legislature. Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition won a large majority in the Chambe ...
, which was won by
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...
's
centre-right coalition
The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...
, La Russa was re-elected to the Chamber and appointed deputy speaker of the house.
In the
1996 Italian general election won by
Romano Prodi
Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Prim ...
's
centre-left coalition
The centre-left coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-sinistra) is an political alliance, alliance of list of political parties in Italy, political parties in Italy active, under several forms and names, since 1995 when The Olive Tree (Italy), Th ...
, La Russa was re-elected to the Chamber for the single-member constituency of Milan with 41,598 votes. In the legislature, La Russa was appointed chairman of the "Committee on Parliamentary Immunity", an office he held until 2001. In the
2001 Italian general election, which was won by the centre-right, he was once again elected to the Chamber for the district of Milan 2 with 41,158 votes. On 5 June 2001, La Russa became the leader of AN's deputies, a position that he held until 8 October 2003 and again between November 2004 and July 2005. In the
2006 Italian general election, he was confirmed at the Chamber of Deputies for the constituency of
Lombardy 1.
Minister of Defence
In the run-up of the
2008 Italian general election
A snap election was held in Italy on 13–14 April 2008. The election came after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved the Italian Parliament on 6 February 2008, following the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a January ...
, AN merged with Berlusconi's
Forza Italia
Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...
forming
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom ( it, Il Popolo della Libertà, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL, launched by Silvio Berlusconi on 18 November 2007, was initially a federation of political parties, notably including Forza Italia a ...
(PdL), which La Russa joined, becoming party's national coordinator along with
Sandro Bondi
Sandro Bondi (born 14 May 1959) is an Italian politician. He served as minister of culture from 2008 to 2011, in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet.
Biography
Bondi was born in Fivizzano, province of Massa-Carrara, Italy. He first attended school at Lau ...
and
Denis Verdini
Denis Verdini (born 8 May 1951) is an Italian politician, banker, and convicted felon.
Biography
Born in Fivizzano, he graduated in Political Sciences and later became president of the local cooperative bank Credito Cooperativo Fiorentino.
A ...
. On 8 May 2008, after being re-elected to the Chamber, La Russa was appointed
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
in the
Berlusconi IV Cabinet, a office thet he held until 16 November 2011 when Berlusconi resigned. Moreover, La Russa ran in the
2009 European Parliament election in the North-Western Italy constituency, being elected with 223,986 votes but decided to renounce his seat in favor of that in the Chamber of Deputies.
In November 2009, La Russa challenged the judgement of the ''
Lautsi v. Italy
''Lautsi v. Italy'' was a case brought before the European Court of Human Rights, which, on 18 March 2011, ruled that the requirement in Italian law that crucifixes be displayed in classrooms of schools does not violate the European Convention on H ...
'' of the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
, which contested the display of the crucifix in Italian classrooms. He said: "The crucifix will remain in all the classrooms. They can die, they can die, they and those fake international organizations that count for nothing." Following an appeal by Italy, the first degree judgement was finally overturned. At the end of 2009, with the 2010 financial law, La Russa launched Difesa Servizi S.p.A. a company with the aim of enhancing the defense's brand and assets.
La Russa was among the main supporters of the
2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state NATO-led coalition began a military intervention in Libya, to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, in response to events during the First Libyan Civil War. With ten votes in favour and five ...
against the
regime
In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...
of
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
, which was initially opposed by Prime Minister Berlusconi due to his long-time friendship with the ''de facto'' leader of Libya since 1969. Furthermore, he was in favor of a ceasefire intervention by Italy in the
Russo-Georgian War
The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...
. As minister, La Russa issued the law 100/2009 and established the day of remembrance for the fallen soldiers in international
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United N ...
missions.
On 2 May 2009, La Russa founded
Our Right, a
national-conservative
National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity. National conservatives usually combine nationalism with conservative stances promoting traditional cultural values, ...
faction within the PdL, which was soon disbanded when he formed
Protagonist Italy, along with
Maurizio Gasparri
Maurizio Gasparri (Rome, 18 July 1956) is an Italian politician.
Gasparri was member of the Italian Social Movement and National Alliance. During the course of his career he has served as Minister of Communications (2001 to 2005 in the Ber ...
.
Co-founder of Brothers of Italy
On 21 December 2012, La Russa, along with
Guido Crosetto
Guido Crosetto (born 19 September 1963) is an Italian businessman and politician, who has been serving as Italian Minister of Defence, Minister of Defence since 22 October 2022 in the government of Giorgia Meloni.
A former Christian-democrat, C ...
and
Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Italy since 22 October 2022, the first woman to hold this position. A member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2006, she has led the ...
, founded
Brothers of Italy
Brothers of Italy ( it, Fratelli d'Italia, FdI) is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Italy. It is led by Giorgia Meloni, the incumbent Prime Minister of Italy and the first woman to serve in the position. Accor ...
(FdI), a national-conservative party, split from the PdL because FdI considered Berlusconi and the PdL's secretary
Angelino Alfano
Angelino Alfano (; born 31 October 1970) is an Italian former politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 12 December 2016 to 1 June 2018.
Alfano was Minister of the Interior from 28 April 2013 to 12 December 2016, serving in the g ...
of being too close to
Mario Monti
Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis.
Monti served as a European Commiss ...
's cabinet. In the
2013 Italian general election
The 2013 Italian general election was held on 24 and 25 February 2013 to determine the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective members of the Senate of the Republic for the 17th Italian Parliament. The centre-left alliance ...
, he was once again elected to the Chamber. Moreover, on 4 April 2013, La Russa was appointed president of FdI, a position that he held until 8 March 2014, when he was replaced by Meloni. In the
2018 Italian general election
The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017. Voters were electing the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective membe ...
, La Russa was elected to the
Senate of the Republic for the single-member district of
Rozzano
Rozzano ( lmo, Rozzan ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about south of Milan.
Rozzano borders the following municipalities: Milan, Assago, Zibido San Giacomo, Opera, Pieve ...
gaining 137,793 votes. He became vice president of the Senate on 23 March 2018.
President of the Senate
![Mattarella La Russa 2022](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Mattarella_La_Russa_2022.jpg)
The
2022 Italian general election
The 2022 Italian general election was a snap election held in Italy on 25 September 2022. After the fall of the Draghi government, which led to a parliamentary impasse, President of Italy, President Sergio Mattarella dissolved the parliament on 2 ...
was marked by a strong showing of FdI, which became the most voted party with 26% of votes; the
centre-right coalition
The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...
, led by Meloni, won an absolute majority in both houses. La Russa was re-elected to the Senate for the single-member constituency of
Cologno Monzese
Cologno Monzese ( lmo, label=Milanese dialect, Milanese, Cològn ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan.
The population increased substantially ...
with 239,720 votes.
On 13 October 2022, La Russa was elected
President of the Senate of the Republic by obtaining 116 votes out of 206 in the first round. La Russa's candidacy was not supported by Berlusconi's
Forza Italia
Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...
, but he succeeded in being elected getting votes from members of the opposition parties. The first
post-fascist elected to the position, La Russa was proclaimed president by
Liliana Segre
Liliana Segre (; born 10 September 1930) is an Italian Holocaust survivor, named senator for life by President Sergio Mattarella in 2018 for outstanding patriotic merits in the social field.
Born in 1930 into a Milanese family of Jewish origi ...
, a
senator for life
A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , six Italian senators out of 206, two out of the 41 Burundian senators, one Congolese senator out of 109, and all members of the Bri ...
and
Holocaust survivor
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...
, who presided the Senate's session due to her being the oldest senator.
On 11 December 2022, La Russa announced the proposal of a law aiming at introducing a voluntary
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...
for young people between 18 and 25 years old.
Political views
Often accused of being a
neo-fascist
Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration s ...
politician, he has been described as
far right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
; La Russa has described himself as a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
. Throughout his entire political career, thanks to his professional background, he acted as spokesman for the Italian
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
on justice-related subjects, as well as issues related to the security of citizens, immigration, reduction of the tax burden, and safeguarding national identity. La Russa has also expressed
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
views multiple times throughout his career.
Controversies
During his long-time career, La Russa has often been the protagonist of gaffes and controversies. A press conference of then Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...
held on 10 March 2010 was interrupted several times by the political activist Gian Rocco Carlomagno. La Russa, who had already invited him to leave the room, approached Carlomagno, pulling and pushing him towards the exit, while the protestor accused La Russa of being a
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
.
On 12 February 2011, La Russa kicked and insulted ''
AnnoZero
''AnnoZero'' was an Italian television talk show hosted by the Italian journalist Michele Santoro and was broadcast on Rai 2 from 2006 to 2011. Beatrice Borromeo was a collaborator on this show from 2006–2008. Journalist Marco Travaglio was a p ...
'' journalist Corrado Formigli, who wanted to ask him questions about Berlusconi's sex scandals. La Russa initially apologized for the statements but then accused Formigli of having kicked him in the back and Formigli was moved away by the security service. Moreover, La Russa was being investigated by Italy's
Court of Audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a Supreme audit institution, i.e. a government institution performing financial and/or legal audit (i.e. Statutory audit or External audit) on the executive branch of power.
See also
*Most of those in ...
for embezzlement in relation to the use of state flights to attend the football match between
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...
and
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
on 5 April 2011.
At the beginning of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
The COVID-19 pandemic in Italy is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ().
The virus was first confirmed to have spread to Italy on 31 January 2020, when t ...
, he had suggested on social networks to give up the unhygienic handshake to replace it with the
fascist salute
The Roman salute, alternatively called the Fascist salute, is a gesture in which the right arm is fully extended, facing forward, with palm down and fingers touching. In some versions, the arm is raised upward at an angle; in others, it is held ...
. During a television debate on 15 September, one week before the
2022 Italian general election
The 2022 Italian general election was a snap election held in Italy on 25 September 2022. After the fall of the Draghi government, which led to a parliamentary impasse, President of Italy, President Sergio Mattarella dissolved the parliament on 2 ...
, La Russa stated that "we are all heirs of the
Duce
( , ) is an Italian title, derived from the Latin word 'leader', and a cognate of ''duke''. National Fascist Party leader Benito Mussolini was identified by Fascists as ('The Leader') of the movement since the birth of the in 1919. In 192 ...
." In his house in Milan, La Russa collects several statues and memorabilia of
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
and his fascist movement, as well as photos and paintings about
Italy's colonial campaigns.
Quando Ignazio La Russa mostrava gioiosamente i busti del duce e i cimeli fascisti
Next Quotidiano
Electoral history
Notes
References
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Russa, Ignazio
1947 births
People from Paternò
Living people
Politicians from Milan
Italian Social Movement politicians
National Alliance (Italy) politicians
The People of Freedom politicians
Brothers of Italy politicians
Italian Ministers of Defence
Italian neo-fascists
Deputies of Legislature XI of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XII of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XIII of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XIV of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XV of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XVI of Italy
Deputies of Legislature XVII of Italy
Senators of Legislature XVIII of Italy
University of Pavia alumni
Vice presidents of the Senate (Italy)
Presidents of the Italian Senate