Domenico vive! – Concerto in ricordo di Domenico
(Domenico Lives! – A Concert in Memory of Domenico)
On February 2, 2018, Domenico Maria Dorsa – a young member of the far-right groups Nihil Est Superius (Nothing Is Superior, NES) and Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy, FdI) – passed away following a car accident on the northern stretches of Rome's Great Ring Junction (GRJ) – a motorway which encircles the city's outermost stretches (Nozzoli 2018). Dorsa had been a passenger in a vehicle which suddenly lost control, veered off of the road, and smashed into a tree near the GRJ's Via Salaria offramp. In the days following Dorsa's accident, Giorgia Meloni – the founder and President of FdI – issued a public statement via her Facebook account, lamenting the former's passing: "In this moment of sorrow," Meloni wrote, "our condolences and sympathies [vicinanza] go to Domenico's family and all those who knew him" (Meloni 2021).
While not associated in any way with political violence, as had been the case with many of Cold War Italy's far-right "martyrs" during the Years of Lead (1968-82), the anniversary of Dorsa's passing was quickly transformed into a neo-fascist-style commemoration by his former "comrades" within Rome's far-right community (Figs. 1, 2, and 3).
This poster was disseminated around northern Rome, where NES is based, to promote a concert "in ricordo di Domenico" (in Domenic's memory), which featured a handful of well-known neo-fascist rock 'n roll groups based in the Eternal City, including Senza Nome (Without a Name), which is closely affiliated with NES. The text near the bottom of the poster proclaims that "Domenico vive!" (Domenic lives!), a typical (neo-)fascist rhetorical strategy which recognizes fallen comrades as eternally "Presente!" (Present!) (Fig. 4). At the center of the poster, viewers are presented with the phrase: "Amore e coraggio indubbiamente cambiano la storia" (Love and courage undoubtedly change history).
In addition to this poster, NES disseminated – and continues to do so – a commemorative poster marking the anniversary of Dorsa's death, which is featured in this collection.