Rai interrupted Enrico Montesano’s participation in the programme Dancing with the Stars, after the actor had presented himself to the rehearsals with a T-shirt with the symbol of the Xª MAS, a military corps of the fascist era.
In a statement the Rai he said that Montesano’s attitude is “unacceptable” and apologized to all viewers “and in particular to those who have paid and suffered firsthand because of Nazi-fascism to which precisely that symbology refers”.
Montesano with the neo-fascist t-shirt of the Decima mas “memento audere semper”…
it wasn’t Predappio, but Rai 1 in prime time… #Dancing with the Stars #Montesano #Wild Lucarelli #Christmas pic.twitter.com/uuiWs97Vqg— Syria (@siriomerenda) November 13, 2022
The controversy surrounding Montesano’s shirt began on social networks immediately after the program was broadcast on Rai 1 on Saturday evening. In one recorded segment, Montesano was seen rehearsing the dance moves, which he would later perform live, wearing a T-shirt with the Xª MAS symbol on the chest and the Latin fascist motto “Memento audere semper” (“Remember to dare always”). The controversy had been amplified by the fact that the clip had been recorded in the previous days, so the authors of the program had had the opportunity and time to check its content.
The Xª MAS (or more precisely the Xª Flottiglia MAS) had first been a military corps of the army of the Kingdom of Italy, and after the armistice of 8 September 1943 it was reconstituted as a military corps of the Republic of Salò, remaining faithful to Benito Mussolini even after the end of the regime . For this reason she is often remembered and celebrated by far-right and neo-fascist groups.
