Rome - A tiny Italian far-right party has claimed success in
raising funds for a money prize it is offering to parents who name
their babies after wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, or his
wife Rachele.
'We've got 516,000 euros (668,000 dollars), with donations coming
in from all over the world,' MSI-Fiamma Tricolore official, Vincenzo
Mancusi, told Milan-daily Corriere della Sera in an interview
published Sunday.
Substantial donations from Carinthia - the state in Austria which
was until recently governed by the late far-right leader Joerg Haider
- France and Spain have been registered, Mancusi said.
'One woman from Madrid donated 16,000 euros and told us she is
prepared to sell some of her assets to continue supporting our
initiative,' he added.
The party appears to have been less successful in attracting
parents who stand to receive 1,500 euros for registering their child
with the required names.
According to Mancusi, since the November 2008, six couples have
contacted the MSI-Fiamma Tricolore, with two saying they would adhere
provided their prize money was devolved to charity,
Eligible for the prize are couples who live in five municipalities
in the southern Basilicata region where birthrates are exceptionally
low.
The party says it is highlighting its fear that Italy's population
is threatened with extinction, while also paying homage to Mussolini
whose ideas continue to influence the MSI-Fiamma Tricolore's outlook.
Mussolini, who ruled Italy for two decades, was ousted in 1943
after leading the country to ruin by entering World War Two as an
ally of Nazi Germany. He was executed along with his mistress
Claretta Petacci in 1945. His widow Rachele died in 1979.
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