Fratelli d'Italia figure in Ragusa convicted for Roman salute at Ramelli gathering
Catania Court of Appeal has convicted Mario Chiavola, a Fratelli d'Italia politician, for the fascist gesture carried out on 29 April 2021 in via Sergio Ramelli during a memorial. Chiavola received 9 months' imprisonment with sentence suspended and a fine of 200 euros.
Appeal court finds violation of anti-fascist law in Ragusa
On 29 April 2021 in Ragusa, in via Sergio Ramelli, a group of fifteen people gathered for a memorial. During the event, some participants raised their arm in a Roman salute whilst shouting "comrade: present". The videos were shared on social networks. According to Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca, Catania Court of Appeal determined on 10 November 2026 that Mario Chiavola violated both the Scelba Law, which prohibits fascist propaganda, and the Mancino Law, which punishes racial discrimination and incitement to violence.
Chiavola, at the time a representative of Casa Pound Ragusa and today a member of the provincial coordination of Fratelli d'Italia, was sentenced to 9 months' imprisonment with sentence suspended and a fine of 200 euros. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Sebastiano Mignemi, recognised the gesture as an external manifestation of an organisation aimed at spreading ideas founded on racial superiority.
The proceedings followed three different judicial paths for the same episode. Following a complaint by Anpi Ragusa, only three of the fifteen participants were identified: Chiavola, Fabio Camilli (then a Casa Pound Siracusa representative) and Sara Arena. They were accused of having violated the Mancino Law during the commemorative gathering.
In December 2023, the investigating judge at Ragusa court, Ivano Infarinato, sentenced them to 652 euros in fines each. Arena paid and concluded the matter; the other two lodged an objection. Arena decided to pay and close her proceedings, whilst Chiavola and Camilli appealed to court.
In the subsequent hearing, the public prosecutor also added a violation of the Scelba Law. Camilli opted for summary trial; the prosecutor requested acquittal, but investigating judge Eleonora Schininà sentenced him on 4 December 2024 to 2 months' imprisonment with sentence suspended, a fine of 100 euros and 2,500 euros in legal costs. A violation of the Scelba Law was found, but not of the Mancino Law. The appeal is scheduled in Catania in 2027.
Chiavola chose ordinary trial procedure. The prosecutor requested a sentence of 2 months' imprisonment and a fine of 500 euros. Single judge Francesca Aprile acquitted him on 4 March 2026 on both counts "because the facts do not exist". In her written reasons, she stated that it was "not sufficiently proven" that Chiavola acted with awareness of violating constitutional rights, taking into account the peripheral location, the absence of public attendance and the reduced number of demonstrators.
Anpi Ragusa appealed against this sentence. In the appeal, it emphasised that the psychological element could not be undervalued, given Chiavola's political role. "Once the material element was established, the psychological element could not be undervalued, given that Chiavola is a political figure, already a district councillor in Ragusa, at the time of the events a Casa Pound representative and today an exponent of Fratelli d'Italia in provincial coordination", said Mimmo Barone, the lawyer for Anpi Ragusa.
The Court of Appeal overturned the decision on 10 November 2026, recognising a violation of both laws. Gianni Battaglia, president of Anpi Ragusa, stated that the memory of Ramelli could be honoured differently: "If you want to commemorate Ramelli you can hold a mass, hire a hall and organise a conference. There is no need to organise a gathering with a Roman salute and the roll call, because in doing so you use procedures and symbolism typical of the fascist party".
Chiavola intends to appeal to the Supreme Court. His lawyer, Michele Savarese, contends that the first-instance sentence followed the interpretation of the Supreme Court of Cassation and cites a recent sentence from Milan Court of Appeal according to which the Roman salute and roll call for commemorative purposes do not constitute a crime.
Chiavola had been among the promoters of naming the street after Ramelli in 2005, then a district councillor for Ragusa-West elected on the Alleanza Nazionale list. Sergio Ramelli, a young neo-fascist activist, was killed in 1975 during clashes between left-wing and right-wing groups during years of political conflict in Italy.
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca