Rimini, June 4, 2026 – The choice of a mayor from the province of Rimini during the official celebrations of the Republic Day is causing discussion and controversy. “We consider it extremely serious that a mayor from the province participated in the celebration wearing a black shirt, a symbol historically and politically associated with fascism.” This was publicly denounced by Anpi provinciale di Rimini, firmly condemning what happened during the official ceremony on June 2, which took place “in the presence of the Prefect, civil and military authorities, veterans’ associations, and citizens.”
The case of the mayor of Pennabilli
The mayor in question, whom Anpi does not directly name in the statement (but sends an emblematic photo of all the mayors of the province posing with the tricolor sash), is Mauro Giannini, mayor of Pennabilli. The local administrator, moreover, has never hidden his inclinations, having stated several times in the past that he was born and will die with the black shirt.
Anpi’s attack: “Offense to the memory of the Resistance”
Wearing that garment precisely on the occasion of the June 2 ceremony represents, for the National Association of Partisans, “a gesture incompatible with the meaning of the anniversary which celebrates the birth of the democratic Republic and the anti-fascist Constitution. The circumstance takes on even greater relevance in light of the repeated public declarations with which the administrator himself has claimed his belonging to the fascist identity and proudly defined himself as ‘fascist’ and ‘black shirt’.” Anpi, in short, considers what happened unequivocally as “a grave offense to the memory of the Resistance and the values on which the Republic is founded.”
Giannini’s precedents: between nostalgic posts and shocking statements
Moreover, Mauro Giannini is no stranger to sensational statements and gestures, which over the years have made him famous in the news far beyond the borders of Valmarecchia. A former paratrooper officer, the mayor of Pennabilli has repeatedly asserted his positions through social media. Among the most sensational precedents are his Facebook posts in which he explicitly declared himself “fascist,” his public praise of the Ventennio (the twenty-year fascist period), and his provocative ordinances (such as the one in which he invited citizens to defend themselves by arming themselves at home). Repeatedly at the center of heated debates in the municipal council and attacks from center-left opposition parties, Giannini has always reiterated his stance, transforming nostalgic provocation into a true hallmark of his political mandate.
