A member of the far-right Forza Nuova
(FN) movement had his coffin draped in a Nazi flag at his
funeral in Rome Monday.
FN militant Alessia Augello was buried at the Santa Lucia parish
church near Piazzale Clodio after dying of post-surgical
complications on January 7, at the age of 44.
FN militants saluted the coffin with 'Roman' Fascist salutes.
DIGOS security police have opened a probe into the people who
put the flag on the coffin.
They may be charged with apology of fascism, judicial sources
said.
Various far-right militants were identified thanks to video
footage of the incident posted on the Internet.
The incident was condemned by partisan and Jewish groups, and
leftwing parties.
Parish priests Don Alessandro and Don Paolo Emilio said the Nazi
tribute to Augello had not been authorised by the parish or the
officiating priest.
"We want to express our deep sadness, disappointment and dismay
at what happened," they said.
The priests said they "distance(d themselves) from all words,
symbols and gestures used outside the church related to
extremist ideologies distant from the Gospel".
The Vicariate of Rome said it "firmly deplores what happened
yesterday, in front of the Santa Lucia parish church, to the
total ignorance of parish priest Don Alessandro Zenobbi and all
the parish clergy, at the end of the celebration of a funeral".
It said the Nazi flag was "a horrific symbol, incompatible with
Christianity".
It confirmed that the incident happened without any
authorisation by the church.
"It was an unacceptable act," said the Vicariate.
The director of the premier's office racial anti-discrimination
office, Triantafillos Loukarelis, said the incident showed the
extremist groups must be dissolved.
FN's national and Roman leaders are set to go on trial for
ransacking the national headquarters of leftwing trade union
CGIL during an anti-vax protest in Rome last year.
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