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20: The Origins of Bella Ciao, & The "Culture War" between "Groypers" and the "New Right"
What does a song born in the rice paddies of northern Italy that brought down Mussolini have to do with political extremism in the United States? In this episode, we follow the journey of Bella Ciao — its origins among the mondine, its rise with WWII partisans fighting fascism, and its continued life as protest anthem around the world.
Ripples of Rebels is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Then, we zoom in on the unsettling recent development: how white nationalist extremists like Nick Fuentes and the Groypers are picking up this anti-fascist anthem, twisting its meaning, and using it to mock those same values it used to defend. We also unpack the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, including alleged use of Bella Ciao in bullet casings, to explore how symbols, grief, and hate intersect in modern political culture.
Along the way, we compare and contrast the Groypers with other alt-right and conservative movements: what it means when one side is explicitly anti‐Jewish and rejecting Zionism, and the other embraces Zionist Jewish supporters. We trace not only ideology, but also tactics: how culture wars are waged via music, memes, and symbols. What we learn: symbols matter, history gets reused, and staying aware of those reuses is part of resistance.
Tune in for history, for investigation, and for understanding what those who love Bella Ciao can do when it is weaponized for good, and not high-jacked by modern day fascists fighting with each other.
📚 Academic & Credible Sources for Further Reading
Suggested Readings (MLA Format)
* Pavone, Claudio. A Civil War: A History of the Italian Resistance. Verso Books, 2013.
* Fantoni, Gianluca, and Rosario Forlenza, editors. “The Italian Resistance: Historical Junctures and New Perspectives.” Modern Italy, vol. 30, no. 2, May 2025, pp. 125-130. Cambridge University Press.
* Varriale, Andrea. “The Myth of the Italian Resistance Movement (1943-1945).” JSTOR, 2014.
* Pezzino, Patricia. “The Italian Resistance Between History and Memory.” Journal of Modern Italian Studies, vol. 10, no. 3, 2005, pp. 294-308.
* “Groypers (Groyper Army, Nick Fuentes).” Wikipedia. (Note: Use this cautiously and follow up with more rigorous sources.)
* “From Alt-Right To Groyper.” Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights (IREHR).
🔍 Additional Sources for Learning More
* The Anti-Defamation League’s materials on white nationalism and antisemitism, especially regarding Nick Fuentes and associated movements.
* National WWII Museum article: “The CLN: The Italian Resistance Unites as Mussolini’s Regime Crumbles.”
* Scholarly essays on memory and myth in resistance movements, like Alessandro Portelli’s “Myth and Morality in the History of the Italian Resistance.”
* Recent reports or analyses on monitoring online extremist movements like the “Hate Map” (for example, IREHR, Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League) to understand how the Groypers use social media or meme culture.
Get full access to Ripples of Rebels at delaneyxclara.substack.com/subscribe
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By Delaney ClaraWhat does a song born in the rice paddies of northern Italy that brought down Mussolini have to do with political extremism in the United States? In this episode, we follow the journey of Bella Ciao — its origins among the mondine, its rise with WWII partisans fighting fascism, and its continued life as protest anthem around the world.
Ripples of Rebels is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Then, we zoom in on the unsettling recent development: how white nationalist extremists like Nick Fuentes and the Groypers are picking up this anti-fascist anthem, twisting its meaning, and using it to mock those same values it used to defend. We also unpack the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, including alleged use of Bella Ciao in bullet casings, to explore how symbols, grief, and hate intersect in modern political culture.
Along the way, we compare and contrast the Groypers with other alt-right and conservative movements: what it means when one side is explicitly anti‐Jewish and rejecting Zionism, and the other embraces Zionist Jewish supporters. We trace not only ideology, but also tactics: how culture wars are waged via music, memes, and symbols. What we learn: symbols matter, history gets reused, and staying aware of those reuses is part of resistance.
Tune in for history, for investigation, and for understanding what those who love Bella Ciao can do when it is weaponized for good, and not high-jacked by modern day fascists fighting with each other.
📚 Academic & Credible Sources for Further Reading
Suggested Readings (MLA Format)
* Pavone, Claudio. A Civil War: A History of the Italian Resistance. Verso Books, 2013.
* Fantoni, Gianluca, and Rosario Forlenza, editors. “The Italian Resistance: Historical Junctures and New Perspectives.” Modern Italy, vol. 30, no. 2, May 2025, pp. 125-130. Cambridge University Press.
* Varriale, Andrea. “The Myth of the Italian Resistance Movement (1943-1945).” JSTOR, 2014.
* Pezzino, Patricia. “The Italian Resistance Between History and Memory.” Journal of Modern Italian Studies, vol. 10, no. 3, 2005, pp. 294-308.
* “Groypers (Groyper Army, Nick Fuentes).” Wikipedia. (Note: Use this cautiously and follow up with more rigorous sources.)
* “From Alt-Right To Groyper.” Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights (IREHR).
🔍 Additional Sources for Learning More
* The Anti-Defamation League’s materials on white nationalism and antisemitism, especially regarding Nick Fuentes and associated movements.
* National WWII Museum article: “The CLN: The Italian Resistance Unites as Mussolini’s Regime Crumbles.”
* Scholarly essays on memory and myth in resistance movements, like Alessandro Portelli’s “Myth and Morality in the History of the Italian Resistance.”
* Recent reports or analyses on monitoring online extremist movements like the “Hate Map” (for example, IREHR, Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League) to understand how the Groypers use social media or meme culture.
Get full access to Ripples of Rebels at delaneyxclara.substack.com/subscribe