ROME – Police in Ferrara have carried out 24 searches in relation to 24 men between the ages of 20 and 30 who are accused of racism, violence and praising Nazism, the Ferrara State police said.

 The men had a meal in a restaurant before Christmas where they allegedly praised Hitler, Mussolini, and Nazism. They also distributed leaflets in the restaurant which reiterated their ideology, as well as including threats against the police force.

 After leaving the restaurant, the men went to a club in Ferrara’s Jewish neighbourhood where they shouted pro-Nazi chants and made death threats to members of the public who tried to interrupt their racist right-wing rhetoric. Police said they acted “without worrying about the consequences of their conduct.”

 The searches were carried out by the police belonging to the General Investigations and Special Operations Division of Ferrara, Bologna and Ravenna, coordinated by the Central Directorate of Prevention Police. The section of police which deal with cybersecurity were also involved, examining the seized computers for evidence.

 Investigations are still ongoing, at the request of the Ferrara Prosecutor’s Office who are trying to establish whether these 24 men are part of a structured group.

 khg