The prime minister-elect's closest ally, Umberto Bossi, the Northern League leader... warned of violence if the centre-left did not go along with his plans for federalism.
"I don't know what the left wants [but] we are ready," he told reporters. "If they want conflicts, I have 300,000 men always on hand."
On Monday night, the area around Rome's city hall rang to chants of "Duce! Duce!", the term adopted by Italy's dictator, Benito Mussolini, equivalent to the German "Führer". Supporters of the new mayor gave the fascist Roman straight-arm salutes.
That's real fascism. Not 'warned the centre left to comply because he had the popular mandate'. Not even 'warned the left to comply because as elected representative he controlled the law'. No - 'Warned them to comply because otherwise his private army of 300,000 thugs would beat them'. Now that's fascism.
