Italy's government pays homage to fascist defeat in key WWII battle, sparking opposition criticism

ROME — Italy’s far-right government has sparked wide criticism after celebrating a major World War II battle, praising the defeated fascist soldiers who lost their lives.

In a social media post on Wednesday to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the 1942 battle of El Alamein in Egypt, Italy’s Defense ministry paid homage to the Italian soldiers “who sacrificed their lives for our freedom." It described the Italian and Nazi loss to the Allies as “heroic and tragic.”

The second El Alamein battle took place in Egypt in October 1942 and was won by the Allies thanks to a huge effort involving about 190,000 men. It marked the defeat for the German-led Axis and a major blow to its ambitions in North Africa.

Thousands of Italians were among those killed or captured in the battle, fought under the fascist regime of dictator Benito Mussolini.

The Italian center-left opposition slammed the government’s commemoration, with the Five Star Movement stressing it was “inopportune” to say that Italian troops had fought for freedom.

“Italian boys in El Alamein did not fall for our freedom, as ambiguously claimed by the Ministry of Defense, but were sent to die by the fascist government,” Gianfranco Pagliarulo, president of the national partisans’ association, ANPI, said on Thursday.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, which traces its roots to the neo-fascist movement that emerged after Mussolini’s fall.

Meloni has tried to distance her party from its neo-fascist past and has openly condemned all totalitarian regimes, including fascism.

But the opposition has repeatedly accused the premier and some of her closest allies of refusing to firmly declare themselves “anti-fascist.”

Meloni has made no comment on the current controversy.