Destra radicale italiana e negazionismo della Shoah

Abstract

The Holocaust denial is characterised by profound differences in its theoretical and political origins, each determining a diverse approach to the Holocaust issue. In particular, the denial typical of the Italian radical right -unlike the other forms of Holocaust denials- takes the shape of a new type of anti-Semitism. By reconstructing the genealogy of the Italian radical right denial, indeed, two main patterns may be acknowledged: the one referring to groups interpreting fascism as tradition and the one referring to groups interpreting fascism as revolution. Both these articulations, although diverse, rely on a deep-rooted anti-Semitism, which will result in a carsic Holocaust denial. Indeed, it appeared at the beginning of the Sixties, in its embryonic phase (the foundation document of the Gruppo di Ar), then vanished and emerged again, twenty years later, at the beginning of the Eighties, through unresting editorial initiatives and debates unheard-of in our country.