Online use of Slogans, Symbols and Slurs by the Italian Radical Right

This chapter details the slogans, symbols, key phrases and slurs currently used online by the Italian radical right. It bears noting that the Italian radical right is mostly identified in Italy simply as ‘la destra’ [the right], which is misleading or, with an increasingly common label, ‘destra sovranista’ [sovereigntist right]: a foreign reader, unfamiliar with Italian politics, may be surprised to discover how ideologically broad is the political spectrum covered by what is called ‘la destra’. In fact, in Italy this term is intended to include everything from the moderate centre right to the fascist extreme right, particularly since the former has been gradually, at least since 2018, eaten up by the radical right. While in the current Italian context ‘radical right’ (or ‘far right’) are not generally in use, this report – in keeping with instalments on France and Germany – will identify this term with the illiberal politics and violent extremism underpinning these groups.