Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno on Monday failed to put to rest polemics over his statement that while Fascism's racial laws were an ''absolute evil'', the movement itself was not.
Alemanno made his remarks at the end of a five-day visit to the Holy Land and on his return to the capital said the polemics had been overblown by the press.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Rome, Alemanno tried to explain his position by observing that while he condemned ''without hesitation'' the antidemocratic and repressive nature of Fascism, this did not stop him from ''paying homage to those who fought and died for that cause in good faith''.
The mayor's explanation was not enough for the head of the Rome Jewish Community, Riccardo Pacifici, who pointed out that ''in Alemanno's speech there was no explicit condemnation of Fascism. I think we will be talking about this for some time''.
''I believe that this polemic should be approached in a constructive way. I think it should be made clear that there is no such thing as good Fascism and bad Fascism. That this ideology was directly responsible for the racial laws,'' he added.
Pacifici also expressed his hope that former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni, now head of the opposition Democratic Party (PD), would reconsider his decision to quit the city-sponsored committee to create a Shoah museum in Rome.
Veltroni, who helped set up the committee while in office and because of this was allowed to remain even though his post was taken by Alemanno, said he would leave the committee in protest over the current mayor's remarks.
Alemanno has also expressed his hope that Veltroni will stay on the panel.
