ROME (JTA) — The creation of an extreme right-wing paramilitary-style vigilante group has triggered an uproar in Italy.
A group called the Italian National Guard over the weekend revealed uniforms reminiscent of those from pre-World War II fascist militias and also uses symbols linked with fascism, such as a black insignia and the Imperial eagle.
The Guard — dubbed "the black patrols" by critics and the media — was formed with the support of a neo-fascist political movement that models itself on Britain’s National Front. With its uniforms, the Guard is reminiscent of the so-called Hungarian Guard formed by Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party.
Prosecutors in Milan and Turin have opened investigations on suspicion that the Guard violates a law that bans the re-establishment of the Fascist Party.
Mainstream right-wing politicians joined leftists in condemning the group.
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