Graffiti saying "April 25, infamous partisan villains", written in white on large black posters, appeared in several squares in Rome on Friday morning, evidently scrawled by neofascists ahead of Saturday's Liberation Day celebrations.
"This morning, infamous graffiti appeared that tarnish the Resistance," said the Roman chapter of the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD).
"An outrage to the memory and values on which our democracy is founded.
"We have urged the city administration to intervene immediately to remove them and ask law enforcement to identify those responsible as soon as possible.
"These are not incidents to be underestimated: defending memory means defending the present and future of our communities.
