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Protests at Rome Book Fair Escalate Over Neo‑Fascist Publisher, Prompting Political Backlash

A sector‑wide protest tests AIE’s rules on who can exhibit at commercial fairs.

Overview

  • About half of the exhibitors staged a 30‑minute action by covering their stands and marching to Passaggio al Bosco’s booth, singing Bella ciao and chanting antifascist slogans.
  • A packed open assembly led by Loredana Lipperini and Maura Gancitano shifted attention to the fragility of the publishing ecosystem and what safeguards AIE should impose.
  • The fair’s director welcomed lawful demonstrations, and AIE’s president reiterated that exhibitors are not vetted for editorial lines but must adhere to constitutional values; Orecchio Acerbo said it is leaving AIE in protest.
  • Il Giornale reported that editor Mattia Tombolini, an assistant to MEP Ilaria Salis, coordinated the sit‑in, and FdI’s Federico Mollicone announced a parliamentary question on the protest; these claims reflect partisan framing rather than an official finding.
  • Passaggio al Bosco’s editor said the house is not a political movement, while critics cited a catalog with titles by Mussolini and Borghese as grounds for objecting to its presence.