Facebook Bans Two Italian Right-Wing Parties And Dozens Of Their Followers For 'Spreading Hate'

The official accounts of dozens of Italian far-right activists and the neo-fascist parties CasaPound and Forza Nuova were shut down on Monday for violating hate speech policies.

The parties have also been kicked off Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.

"People and organizations that spread hatred or attack others based on who they are, have no place on Facebook and Instagram," Facebook said in a statement.

Rome-based CasaPound’s official Facebook page had almost 240,000 followers.

The Facebook and Instagram accounts of dozens of activists belonging to both far-right groups were also reportedly blocked.

It’s not the first time the two groups have had accounts closed down, Italian news agency Ansa reports. Last April, shortly before the European elections, Facebook closed down the profiles of several high-profile members of both movements.

The parties' chiefs - who also had their personal accounts shut – slammed the move as anti-democratic.

Gianluca Iannone, president of CasaPound, protested that the move was "an unprecedented attack", telling Ansa the group would be filing an "urgent class action law suit against an act of disgraceful prevarication."

The move was hailed as “exemplary” and “a correct and courageous choice” by the leader of Italy’s Democratic Party, Nicola Zingaretti.

“We must share and spread these important words to put an end to the season of hatred,” he told local media. “These are people who would deny others the right to exist.”

"Apology for fascism in Italy is not an opinion. It is a crime."