LEFTWINGERS will rally in Rome tomorrow against the rising tide of fascism in the country, after police attacked an anti-fascist protest in the city of Turin yesterday.

Tomorrow afternoon’s “No more fascism, no more racism” demonstration is expected to be large, and follows several incidents of fascist shows of force and physical violence in the run-up to the general election on March 4.

Workers have been urged to mobilise for the rally by trade unions and other groups, including the country’s main CGIL confederation, partisans’ association Anpi and the Communist Refoundation Party.

CGIL general secretary Susanna Camusso told the Trade Union Review magazine that the fascists had been fuelled by the fallout of capitalist globalisation which had “generated inequalities even in places where the inequalities [had been] progressively reduced.”

Ms Camusso said that it was urgent that the state use provisions in the constitution to ban Italy’s growing mob of fascist parties, which have gone largely untouched for decades.

Communist Refoundation Party national secretary Maurizio Acerbo said that the ruling Democratic Party had not “lifted a finger” to stop the fascists.

“Only by rebuilding a popular left of opposition to neoliberal policies imposed by the European treaties and by centre-right and centre-left governments can racism and fascism be countered,” he said.

Tomorrow’s demonstration follows a march in Turin by 500 anti-fascists against a rally by the far-right CasaPound outfit last night.

Police surrounded the hotel in which the fascists were meeting, and tried to drive off the protesters using water cannon and tear gas.

The same night, fascists torched a social centre in Brescia, northern Italy. Organisers at the CSA Magazzino 47 centre say rightwingers broke in through the window and doused the interior with petrol before setting it alight.

The final opinion polls before the March 4 election, published last week, showed that a right-wing bloc cobbled together by convicted fraudster Silvio Berlusconi held a clear lead.

Many of its constituent parties hold positions previously advocated by smaller fascist groups, with the Northern League vowing to deport half a million immigrants.

A strong result is expected for the Five Star Movement, which has called for “more tourists, fewer migrants.”