The Italian neo-fascist party Forza Nuova is among the groups that have come out in support of the World Congress of Families (WCF) – the premier international gathering of anti-abortion, anti-feminist and anti-LGBTIQ movements which is meeting in Verona at the end of this week (29-31 March).

The event will be attended by three ministers from the far-right Lega party: Matteo Salvini, the current government’s Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister; the Minister for Family and Disability Lorenzo Fontana (previously the deputy mayor of Verona) and the Minister of Education Marco Bussetti.

Meanwhile, Forza Nuova has announced a series of parallel events in the Veneto region, which it has called “Italy’s spiritual reserve”, while Verona is their "Vendée of Europe" – referring to the French region that in 1793 saw a conservative uprising against the Jacobin revolutionary government.

The neo-fascist party which has deep ties to anti-abortion movements in the country, including the ProVita organisation co-convening the WCF, opened a new office in Verona a few months ago and is increasingly visible in the city.

The events it’s organising this week include a march in the city of Padua, the opening of another new office in Treviso, and a press conference in Verona on Saturday, 30 March – at the same time as street protests planned by the local chapter of the Italian feminist movement Non Una di Meno (NUDM).