- Gianni Alemanno
Infobox Mayor
name = Gianni Alemanno
imagesize = 180px
order = 63rdMayor of Rome
term_start = April 2008
term_end =
predecessor =Walter Veltroni
successor = Incumbent
order2 = Minister of Agriculture
primeminister2 =Silvio Berlusconi
term_start2 =June 11 ,2001
term_end2 =May 17 ,2006
Prime Minister2 =Silvio Berlusconi
predecessor2 =Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio
successor2 =Paolo De Castro
birth_date = birth date and age|1958|03|03
birth_place =Bari ,Italy
nationality = Italian
party =People of Freedom
spouse = Isabella Rauti|Giovanni "Gianni" Alemanno (b.
3 March 1958 inBari ,Italy ) is an Italianpolitician who is currently Mayor of Rome.He joined the neo-fascist [Piero Ignazi - "Postfascisti?" - Bologna: Il Mulino, 1994]
Italian Social Movement at a very early age and became national secretary of the youth organization of the party in 1988. After being elected regional councillor ofLazio in 1990, he was elected for the first time to the Chamber of Deputies in the 1994 general election.In 1995, along with
Francesco Storace , he founded theSocial Right , which was intended to be the more right-wing, socially-oriented and socially conservative faction within National Alliance, the new party which replaced its neo-fascist predecessor, the Italian Social Movement.Between 2001 and 2006 Alemanno was Minister of Agriculture in Berlusconi II and III Cabinet.
After having been heavily defeated by
Walter Veltroni in the 2006 mayoral election ofRome , in April 2008 he defeatedFrancesco Rutelli and became Mayor of the city. His victory was greeted by crowds of supporters, among them far right skinheads, who chanted "Duce ! Duce!" and raised their arms in afascist salute .cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/2706408/Italian-politicians-praise-fascist-era-of-Benito-Mussolini.html|title=Italian politicians 'praise' fascist era of Benito Mussolinien]Alemanno always wears a
necklace with aceltic cross , which is a neo-fascist symbol in Italy. [cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/2006/05/sezioni/spettacoli_e_cultura/croce-alemanno/croce-alemanno/croce-alemanno.html|title=Alemanno mostra la croce celtica scontro in tv con Daria Bignardiit] . He stated he wears it only as a religious symbol and because of a personal meaning for him, being a jewel worn by his friendPaolo di Nella , a far right militant that had been killed during the '70sAnni di Piombo [cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_aprile_20/alemanno_croce%20_celtica_1d42c05e-0ee9-11dd-b370-00144f486ba6.shtm|title=Alemanno: la mia croce celtica è solo un simbolo religiosoit] .Alemanno is the son-in-law of
Pino Rauti , a former leader of the Italian Social Movement. Rauti was a volunteer in the army of theItalian Social Republic , the puppet state of Nazi Germany in the North of Italy from 1943 to 1945, when he was captured by the British.In August 2008 Alemanno caused a controversy when Romanian shepherds attacked a Dutch couple that had been camping outside of Rome. The couple was beaten and robbed and the woman was raped. Alemanno stated that the couple had been "very careless" by camping in an area "forgotten by God and man" where camping was illegal. Shadow minister
Pina Picierno , demanded that Alemanno apologize to the couple. [cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4602567.ece|title=Attack on pilgrim tourists reignites Italy's row over immigrantsen]In September 2008, Alemanno caused further outrage when he denied that fascism under Mussolini was an "absolute evil". He continued: "I don't think so and I never thought so: fascism was a more complex phenomenon. Many people joined it in good faith, and I don't feel like labelling them with that definition." His comments were condemned by leaders of Rome's
Jewish community. [cite web|url=http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/110262.html|title=Roman Jews criticize mayor over Fascist remarksen]References
External links
* [http://www.giannialemanno.info/ Website of Alemano] (in Italian)
* [http://www.citymayors.com/mayors/rome-mayor-alemanno.html CityMayors profile]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/worldservice/meta/tx/assignment?nbram=1&nbwm=1&size=au&lang=en-ws&bgc=003399&ls=p1366&ls=4376 BBC Assignment programme]Template group
title = Gianni Alemanno
titlestyle = style="background:#eee;
list =Persondata
name=Alemanno, Gianni
alternative names=
short description=Mayor of Rome
date of birth=1958-03-03
place fo birth=Bari, Italy
date of death=
place of death=
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.