Chapter 87: Roma

335     contains the remains . . . died during World War I “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, VIVE Institute, accessed March 12, 2025, vive.cultura.gov.it/en/altar-fatherland/not-miss/tomb-unknown-soldier.

335     in an ancient Roman robe, goatskin . . . statuette known as a winged victory “The Goddess Rome by Angelo Zanelli,” Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, accessed March 12, 2025, vive.cultura.gov.it/en/altar-fatherland/not-miss/goddess-rome-angelo-zanelli.

335     an ancient Roman deity . . . Rome and the Roman state “Roma,” Encyclopedia Mythica, accessed March 12, 2025,pantheon.org/articles/r/roma.html; and “The Cult of the Goddess Roma in Miletus. About 130 BC,” in Rome and the Greek East to the Death of Augustus, ed. and trans. Robert K. Sherk (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 42. Find the library book at search.worldcat.org/title/9197359.

335     the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II “Vittoriano,” Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, accessed March 12, 2025, vive.cultura.gov.it/en/vittoriano.

335     the first king of unified Italy . . . 1861 to 1878 “Victor Emmanuel II and the Risorgimento Process,” Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, accessed March 12, 2025, vive.cultura.gov.it/en/vittoriano/history/victor-emmanuel-ii-and-risorgimento-process.

335     the Altar of the Fatherland  “Many, indeed a huge number, consider the entire complex of the Vittoriano as the Altar of the Fatherland. Alone, this habit underlines its importance." “Altar of the Fatherland,” Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, accessed March 12, 2025, vive.cultura.gov.it/en/altar-of-the-fatherland.

335     accompanied by . . . and Constitutional Court “78th Liberation Day,” Ministry of Defence, Italian Government, April 25, 2023, www.difesa.it/eng/primo-piano/78th-liberation-day/32171.html.

335     the most votes in Italy’s general election International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, “Italian Chamber of Deputies,” September 25, 2022, last updated October 31, 2023, accessed September 25, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3516/; and Antonio Voce and Seán Clarke, “Italian Election 2022: Live Official Results,” The Guardian, September 26, 2022, www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2022/sep/25/italian-election-2022-live-official-results.

335–336     the first European country hit hard . . . the first to shut down Iris Bosa et al., “Response to COVID-19: Was Italy (Un)prepared?” Health Economics, Policy, and Law 17, no. 1 (March 2021), pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7985656/.

336     opposing COVID-19 closures, restrictions . . .  See Giorgia Meloni, Twitter, April 3, 2021, 8:32 a.m., x.com/GiorgiaMeloni/status/1378324419186204673, archived at archive.today, February 9, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/vvjSv; Meloni, Twitter, April 16, 2021, 2:06 p.m.,x.com/GiorgiaMeloni/status/1383119533641248768, archived at archive.today, February 9, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/DQBX3;
and Meloni, Twitter, February 15, 2022, 5:56 a.m.,x.com/GiorgiaMeloni/status/1493539605999767563, archived at archive.today, February 9, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/H1f0P.

336     rolled these measures back Hannah Roberts, “Brothers of Italy Prepare to Roll Back COVID Rules,” Politico, September 30, 2022, www.politico.eu/article/brothers-of-italy-giorgia-meloni-roll-back-covid-rule-vaccine/.

336     ran on reducing crime—and associating crime with immigration The party’s 2022 platform stated, “Between old and new forms of crime, Italy is increasingly unsafe. Illegal immigration threatens the security and quality of life of its citizens. Our cities are degraded and unlivable. Suburbs and historic centers are the scene of squats, violence, and drug dealing.” The Program Ready to Revive Italy, Political Elections 25 September 2022, Brothers of Italy, cdn.pagellapolitica.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Programm_FratelliItalia.pdf, via Google Translate, 31. For their pledges aimed at reducing crime, including a promise to “improve the staffing, equipment, and legal protection of law enforcement and police forces,” see The Program Ready to Revive Italy, cdn.pagellapolitica.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Programm_FratelliItalia.pdf, 31–32.

336     “Delinquents are the soldiers” Emphasis by Camus. Renaud Camus, You Will Not Replace Us! (Plieux, France: Renaud Camus, 2018), 52. Find the library book at search.worldcat.org/title/1091051149.

336      “There is no identifiable gap between . . .” Camus, You Will Not Replace Us!, 53. Find the library book at search.worldcat.org/title/1091051149.

336     reported a “crime wave” . . . particularly in the United States Researchers at the Thurgood Marshall Institute “examine three false narratives presented by politicians and the media to explain the 2020 nationwide increase in homicides: the expansion of bail reform, practices of progressive prosecutors, and attempts to defund the police. Our analysis reveals that the empirical data contradicts these narratives. Our data suggests that pandemic-induced instability and inequality are the primary drivers of recent increases in homicides.” Kesha S. Moore et al., The Truth Behind Crime Statistics: Avoiding Distortions and Improving Public Safety (Thurgood Marshall Institute, Legal Defense Fund, August 2022), www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-08-03-TMI-Truth-in-Crime-Statistics-Report-FINAL-2.pdf, 3.

336     a 30 percent surge in homicides “FBI: 2020 Homicides up Nearly 30%, Largest 1-Year Jump Ever,” Associated Press (AP) News, September 27, 2021, apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-crime-homicide-violent-crime-132443b2bc09707394698e6a90d3f388.

336     assault, burglary, and trespassing declined Rachel E. Morgan and Alexandra Thompson, “Criminal Victimization, 2020,” Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, U.S. Department of Justice, NCJ 301775, October 2021, bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/cv20.pdf, 1–2.

336     news reports . . . ending in 2023 Examples include Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press, “New Report Points to Homicide Rate Declines in U.S. Cities After Pandemic Spike,” PBS, July 21, 2023, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/new-report-points-to-homicide-rate-declines-in-u-s-cities-after-pandemic-spike; Shaila Dewan, “Murders in U.S. Fell 6 Percent in 2022 as Violent Crime Declined,” New York Times, October 16, 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/us/fbi-crime-data-murders.html; AP, “Violent Crime Decreases to Pre-Pandemic Levels, According to FBI,” NBC News, October 17, 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/violent-crime-decreases-pre-pandemic-levels-according-fbi-rcna120757.

336     “God, fatherland, and family” Meloni is “comfortable . . . with some of the hallmarks of Italian fascism, including a motto she often utters from podiums: ‘Dio, patria, e famiglia!’ Or in English, "God, fatherland, and family." “Italy Votes In Its Most Right-Wing Government Since World War II, as Giorgia Meloni Sparks Fears of Fascism,” CBS Mornings, CBS News, September 26, 2022, www.cbsnews.com/news/giorgia-meloni-italy-election-results-brothers-of-italy-far-right-wing-government/.

336     undertook an uprising . . . and their fascist Italian collaborators “The Allied Campaign in Italy, 1943–45: A Timeline, Part Three,” National WWII Museum (New Orleans), May 27, 2022, www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/allied-campaign-italy-1943-45-timeline-part-three;   and   Katy Dartford with Agencies, “Anti-Fascist Censorship Row Overshadows Italy’s Liberation Day Celebrations,” Euronews, April 25, 2024, www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/04/25/anti-fascist-censorship-row-overshadows-italys-liberation-day-celebrations.

336     upwards of 100,000 people . . . in Milan “Over 100,000 at April 25 Rally in Milan,” ANSA English, April 25, 2023, www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/04/25/over-100000-at-april-25-rally-in-milan_405bd6a6-9025-492a-a7a1-a28a34510155.html; and Giada Zampano, “Italy’s Meloni Calls for Unity on Liberation Day Anniversary,” AP News, April 25, 2023, apnews.com/article/italy-fascism-meloni-world-war-ii-resistance-7f526f6429fc002237206d03dc1efb8e#.

336     with photographs of . . . and Giorgia Meloni Ivan Romano, “People hold up placards with anti-fascist slogans and photographs of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Giorgia Meloni during a Liberation Day demonstration on April 25, 2023 in Naples, Italy,” photograph, April 25, 2023, Getty Images, www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/news-photo/people-hold-up-placards-with-anti-fascist-slogans-and-news-photo/1485193010.