Return of the Fascist Blackshirts in Italy?

It seems Diesel-Era Retrofuturist gear and Puttin' On The Reich ain't just in the ironic postmodern echoes of the Dieselpunk community.

It seems that Right Wing vigilante groups in Italy, soon to receive limited Government sanction to report crime, are sporting very overtly Squadrist and Fascist insignia.

Daily Mail article.

Not-So-Crypto Fascism has lurked among Italian politics since the end of the War, but this more overt step is creating real worries of a return to the Squadrists of the past.

Thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Jonny B. Goode on July 9, 2010 at 9:48pm

The Toy Soldiers are meant to be a parody of fascist movements, so it's only natural that they riff with tongue-in-cheek. Plus a lot of the Toy Soldiers are also steampunks/cyberpunks/etc., and already have some fashion sense...

Cap'n Tony said:

Fully agree. Part of what makes this "punk" is an opposition to violent authoritarian opression of individual thought and opinion. That's what I like about Dr. Steel's Toy Soldiers: all the jackboots, none of the stomping. Just have some fun.

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Permalink Reply by Cap'n Tony on July 9, 2010 at 10:59pm

Sure enough...I was the one that added "Putting on the Reich; Subverted" on your TV Tropes page, after all! ;-)

Good to see you, Jonny...been a while.

Jonny B. Goode said:

The Toy Soldiers are meant to be a parody of fascist movements, so it's only natural that they riff with tongue-in-cheek. Plus a lot of the Toy Soldiers are also steampunks/cyberpunks/etc., and already have some fashion sense...

Cap'n Tony said:
Fully agree. Part of what makes this "punk" is an opposition to violent authoritarian opression of individual thought and opinion. That's what I like about Dr. Steel's Toy Soldiers: all the jackboots, none of the stomping. Just have some fun.

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Permalink Reply by Larry on July 10, 2010 at 10:24am

I can see how some neo-Nazi neanderthal might run across a dieselpunk source and think he would want to tag the name to his idiot web site. Especially if we start to gain some popularity as steampunk has. We just have to keep watch over the web and jump on any bastard that tries that and make his life a living hell.

But let's be optimistic that this never happens.