Hundreds of People Give Fascist Salutes in Disturbing Viral Video

A video of hundreds of people giving a Roman salute, commonly used by fascists, to mark the anniversary of the killing of a student has been widely shared online.

The alarming clip showed an estimated 800 people, standing in rows, who gathered in Via Privata Ettore Paladini, in Milan, Italy, on April 29.

In the 16-second video, which has been viewed more than 850,000 times, the far-right activists chanted and gave the salutes, which are identical to the neo-Nazi Hitler salutes.

The clip comes on the date of the annual meeting of European far-right members.

The crowd were filmed in front of a memorial at the site where student and far-right activist Sergio Ramelli, 19, was murdered on April 29, 1975.

Four left-wing activists were found guilty of murdering the student by striking him several times in the head and other parts of his body with wrenches as he walked home.

Ramelli's death has been used as an ideological anchor for Milan's far-right ever since.

In the video, the crowd chants: "Comrade Sergio. Present."

The video has been widely shared on social media, including by American white supremacist Robert Rundo.

According to La Republica, the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, was present at a smaller gathering at a nearby park where there is a small monument dedicated to Ramelli.

A street has also reportedly been named after Ramelli in Lodi, a city south-west of Milan.

According to La Republica, Lodi Mayor Sara Casanova said: "Sergio Ramelli came from a Lodi family and, like many peers, lived his adolescence divided between study, passion for football and political commitment."

She added in her statement, translated from Italian on Google: "The anniversary of this tragic death, 46 years later, he leads us to honor the memory of a boy first persecuted for having manifested and defended his positions and finally brutally killed by political opponents who did not know him.

"A violence that continued even after Sergio's death, with heavy intimidation aimed at his family. This sad page in our history unites us in the firm condemnation of the atrocious crimes of political terrorism that hit all sides."

Fascists are active in Italy
Fascists are active in Italy. In this photo, protesters make the fascist salute during the demonstration of the far-right Northern League (Lega Nord) party and of right-wing Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia), party take part... Stefano Montesi - Corbis / Contributor/Getty

About the writer

Anders Anglesey is a U.S. News Reporter based in London, U.K., covering crime, politics, online extremism and trending stories. Anders has covered QAnon conspiracy theorists and their links to U.S. politicians ahead of the 2022 midterm election. Anders joined Newsweek in 2021. Languages: English, Swedish. You can contact Anders via email at a.anglesey@newsweek.com.

You can get in touch with Anders by emailing a.anglesey@newsweek.com


Anders Anglesey is a U.S. News Reporter based in London, U.K., covering crime, politics, online extremism and trending stories. Anders ... Read more