How the Mussolini of Montreal has sparked a debate about fascism, the history of Montreal’s Italian community and cancel culture.

Tucked away in the heart of Montreal’s Little Italy, at the corner of Dante street and Henri-Julien avenue, is the Church of the Madonna della Difesa. Founded more than a century ago, it is an anchor for one of the oldest Italian communities in Canada. From baptisms to weddings and funerals, you would be hard pressed to find an Italian Montrealer who hasn’t sat in its pews. Fabrizio Gallanti is originally from Genoa and moved to Montreal with his family in 2011. He says he will never set foot in La Difesa. “I will never go to a place where there is a Mussolini fresco,” says Gallanti, who teaches architecture and design at both McGill University and l’Université de Montreal. “It’s something that I just cannot bring myself to do.”