Opposition to fascism is a key value for Italy's centre-left government and hopefully for all Italians, cabinet undersecretary Maria Elenea Boschi said on Monday ahead of an anti-fascist rally later this week in Rome.
"We will be turning out on Saturday to underline our values, which are those we come from, those of our parents and grandparents," Boschi stated.
"They are anti-fascist values and I sincerely hope they are the values of all Italians, because they are the foundation of our constitution," Boschi said on the sidelines of a conference in Brussels.
Wartime dictator Benito Mussolini's racial laws targeting Jews, limitations on citizens' personal freedom and violence against citizens by the fascist regime "are pages of Italy history that all Italians must put behind them," said Boschi.
"We should all fully uphold the values of the Italian Constitution," she said.
Saturday's national anti-fascist demonstration in Rome comes come amid fears of a revival of neo-fascist sentiment in the run-up to Italy's national election on 4 March.