The Italian national activist group, CasaPound, explains their origins, purpose, and the wide scope of their activities.

For several years now, CasaPound has been an inspiration for nationalists all over Europe. I would like to thank our Italian comrades for their inspiring work and for the following interview, which was originally conducted in 2010.

When and how was CasaPound born?

Officially, CasaPound was born on 26 December 2003 with the occupation of Via Napoleone III, a building in Rome. This occupation was carried out by a group of visionary heretics linked together by the same vision of the world. In 2008, on the day of the solstice, CasaPound Italia (CPI) was born. It’s a web throughout Italy of bookstores, gyms, pubs, and of men and women not easily understood in a world of blinkered thinking.

What inspired the creation of CasaPound?

From the challenges that come from struggle, the weight of experience, the fascination with adventure, and a priority given to social justice. All of this inspired the birth and rise of our community.

Why did you choose the name CasaPound?

We chose it to honour the memory of a great American, Ezra Pound, who was a poet, an economist, an artist, and a Fascist.

Are you linked to other organisations?

No, we don’t have political links with any Right-wing organisation in Italy. We have friendly and respectful relations with many European groups.

CasaPound is known for various forms of social activism. Can you explain it to our readers?

CasaPound is based around four principles: culture, solidarity, sports, and (obviously) politics. These four domains can be seen as social activism in one way or another.

CPI organises book presentations, plays, concerts, film discussions, and has a monthly journal (Occidentale).

CPI fight against the crooks in our nation regardless of their political stance. For example: we stand with the workers of Alitalia, who simultaneously filled fountains all over Italy with bottles containing the message ‘SOS wreckage’. We also organised actions in hundreds of FIAT showrooms in order to bring to light the deceptive conduct of FIAT towards its workers. We filled Rome with dummies holding signs denouncing the high cost of living, rent, the power of the banks, and the construction mafia. CPI interrupted TV programmes which sought to incriminate us in the events that happened in Piazza Navona two years ago (violence that broke out between Blocco Studentesco activists and radical Left-wing militants during a student demonstration-Ed.). CPI demonstrated a mock assassination of Santa Claus outside the banks.

CPI created low-cost sporting clubs, which help us in our fight against drugs and cheap cultural models. We have a soccer team in Lecce, a hockey team in Bolzano, and a rugby school and team in Rome which was born out of the occupation of Casa d’Italia Colleverde. In Rome, we also have a water polo team, which after only two years will start in the B league. A few months ago, we also started a boxing club. Istinto Rapace was created in order to promote parachuting at an affordable price. We also give scuba diving lessons through our club, Diavoli di mare. Our motorcycle club, Scudere 7punto1, also organises social activities. On top of this, we have a mountaineering club called Muvra which offers instruction in caving and mountain climbing.

All of these initiatives demonstrate that we are a group, we live, we play sports, we fight, and we are active during crises, such as the earthquake in l’Aquila. This experience led to the creation of disaster and emergency services within CPI. Their first official task was to help people in the north of Italy after the flooding.

Is it important for a nationalist to also have an ecological or social mentality?

A nationalist who is not interested in ecology and social causes would be little more than an imitation.

What have been the reactions of the Left wing and the establishment toward your organisation?

After several years, we have garnered a lot of sympathy outside of our movement, but the powers-that-be and their guardians consider CPI as something dangerous. This can only please us…

You have managed to create a form of living counter-culture (I am personally a big fan of Zetazeroalfa). In Scandinavia, we are still working on this. Do you have any suggestions to give us?

We believe that we have to renew the language, symbolism, esthetics… If we can’t communicate with ‘the others’, it is not always their fault.We try to communicate in a radical mode in order to renew our dream. We want to launch it and give it a new spin. This can be done through music or art.

You also created a student organization, Blocco Studentesco. It is something we would like to start in Scandinavia. Do you have any suggestions you could give our readers?

The Blocco currently has great success in schools and in universities. It has followed from the work I mentioned earlier. We reformulated our fight under the rule of the three Es: Ethic, Epic, Esthetic.

In what ways is CasaPound different from a political party?

Political parties are ruled by mediocrity. Their aim is to conquer seats. They suffer from a modern illness called democracy and, in its final stage, they suffer from the syndrome of being accepted… CPI is a group of individuals who don’t ask what to say or do. The political parties are mired in bureaucracy. CPI is agile. The parties are dead and want nothing more than to please. CPI is liked because it’s alive…and doesn’t care.

What are your future objectives?

Retake everything.