Horrifying moment dozens of Italian men give fascist salute on anniversary of dictator Benito Mussolini's execution

Dozens of men in Italy were seen presenting a fascist salute to honour Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.

Dressed in black, several neo-fascist supporters gathered in Dongo and in Giulino di Mezzegra to shout fascist chants during ceremonies on Sunday.

The men marched through the northern Italian towns where Mussolini was arrested and executed at the end of World War II, and also in Predappio - the notorious dictator's birthplace and final resting place.

The despot was stopped by anti-fascist partisans in Dongo, near Lake Como, on April 27, 1945, as he attempted to escape to Switzerland with his mistress, Clara Petacci, following the Allied liberation of Italy.

On April 28, Mussolini, aged 62, and Petacci were executed and their bodies were taken to Meezzegra-Giulino to be hung in the city's central square - just two days before Hitler's suicide.

Dozens of men raise their arms in the fascist salute and shout the fascist chant 'present' in Dongo, northern Italy during ceremonies to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution

Dressed in black, the neo-fascist supporters marched through northern Italian towns where Mussolini was arrested and executed at the end of World War II

The estimated 100 men reportedly sang the famous Bella Ciao song during the ceremony

Today, a swarm of neo-fascists stormed through the Dongo and placed 15 roses in the lake in memory of the ministers and officials from the Mussolini government who were killed there, according to footage of the event.

Following a rendition of Taps, the leader of the celebrations shouted 'Comrad Benito Mussolini' and the crowd raised their hand to perform a fascist salute while chanting 'present'.

Images snapped from Sunday's event show police vehicles dotted around the areas where demonstrators were present in an apparent bid to break up the large groups. 

The estimated 100 men reportedly sang the famous Bella Ciao song during the ceremony.

The fascist dictator had ruled for two decades in Italy before he attempted to flee the country disguised as a German soldier with his lover - when the communists of Garibaldi's Brigade recognised him and captured him.

With the execution of Mussolini, the partisans took revenge for two decades of fascist tyranny and five years of world war that would continue for several months. 

The bloody confrontations claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Italian civilians, as well as those who were killed and mutilated by the Italians in their imperial campaigns in Libya and Ethiopia, as well as in the Spanish Civil War.

The anniversary of the tyrant's execution fell on the same day that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melloni was leading her far-right Brothers of Italy party in an election rally in the city of Pescara.

Benito Mussolini (left) and Adolf Hitler (right) in Berlin, undated. Mussolini raises his arm in a Nazi salute

A swarm of neo-fascists stormed through the Dongo and placed 15 roses in the lake in memory of the ministers and officials from the Mussolini government who were killed there

Police were spotted around the areas where demonstrators were present in an apparent bid to break up the large groups

Dressed in black, several neo-fascist supporters gathered in Dongo and in Giulino di Mezzegra to shout fascist chants during ceremonies on Sunday

The party's roots can be traced back to the Italian Social Movement (MSI) which was founded by a chief of staff in Mussolini's government in 1946.

The MSI then slowly drew fascist sympathisers and officials into its ranks following Mussolini's demise.

Meloni first joined the MSI's youth branch as a teenager but has since tried to distance party from its neo-fascist roots.

The Premier has condemned fascism's stronghold on democracy and insisted that Italy's right has overpowered the left for decades.

On Sunday, Meloni claimed the left of being more of a totalitarian threat to the country today.

She noted that Communist Party members had made a formal complaint about the tent structures built on the Pescara beachfront to host the Brothers of Italy rally, during which Meloni announced she would head the party’s campaign ahead of European Parliament elections in June. 

'I note that the Communist Party still exists, and I say so to show where the nostalgics for totalitarianism are in Italy today,' she said. 

In October 2022, similar scenes from what was seen in the streets of Italy on Sunday took place as the country marked 100 years since the beginning of Mussolini's dictatorship.

As many as 4,000 sympathisers marched to the despot's crypt and raised their hands in a salute to commemorate the anniversary.

With shouts of 'Duce, Duce, Duce' – Mussolini's honorific – the crowd descended on the dictator's birthplace with fascist flags and black shirts.

Addressing the crowd, Mussolini's great-granddaughter Orsola said at the time: 'After 100 years, we are still here to pay homage to the man this state wanted and whom we will never stop admiring.'