Ecofascism in Italy

Blog post by Nicola Guerra, University of Turku, Finland

Climate change is one of today’s most urgent global challenges—but it’s also become a highly political battleground. While environmentalism is typically associated with progressive values in mainstream media and public opinion, my Identities article, ‘The dark green agenda: tracing ecofascist ideologies and identities in Italy’, reveals a more complex and unsettling development gaining attention in academic circles: far-right movements are crafting their own ecological narratives in ways that are both sophisticated and contradictory.

In Italy, where far-right activism has deep roots and growing momentum, some groups are blending environmental concerns with anti-modern, anti-capitalist and identity-based ideologies. This phenomenon is increasingly referred to as ecofascism. Ecofascism isn’t a unified ideology. It’s a flexible constellation of ideas in which nature is valued not for its own sake, but as a symbol of purity, order and belonging – often tied to ethnic, territorial, or cultural identity. At its core, ecofascism sees modernity – especially capitalism, consumerism and multiculturalism – as having broken humanity’s bond with the natural world. 

Its solution is a return to an ‘authentic’ way of life, guided by what ecofascists view as nature’s eternal, sacred laws. This imagined ‘natural order’ reflects a vision of society as an organic system, where every part – from animals to humans – has a fixed role. A role determined by the eternal and supreme laws of nature. Social harmony depends on tradition, hierarchy and collective duty. Justice means not placing humans above nature but recognizing their role in its destruction.

What makes ecofascism especially potent within the far right is its emotional and cultural appeal. It speaks in the language of authenticity, myth and belonging. It draws on ancient legends, romantic visions of nature and thinkers ranging from Konrad Lorenz and Julius Evola to Ted Kaczynski, Pentti Linkola and the Wandervogel movement. It even reclaims parts of Nazi-era ecology, including the agrarian ideals of SS figure Walter Darré.

My research focuses on three Italian groups that openly identify as ecofascist: the National Anarchists (N-As), the Alliance of Italian Anarchist Nationalists (ANAI) and the National Resistance – National Autonomists (NR-NA). Though their ideologies range from local anarchist federations to pan-European imperial visions, they all believe that nature’s laws should govern politics and economics. Their aim isn’t just ecological protection – it is to remake society in nature’s image.

Although frequently labelled in generic terms and without detailed analysis as 'far right’, these groups exhibit distinct characteristics, most notably their challenge to traditional nationalist thought. Two reject the nation-state entirely, proposing instead small federated communities or neo-imperial orders based on spiritual and ecological ideals. National borders are less important to them than restoring what they see as a natural, timeless civilization.

But ecofascist influences don’t stop at the fringes. Through social media and online forums, their language is filtering into broader far-right activism. In my online ethnographic work, I found that many right-wing militants – though not formal members of ecofascist groups – are adopting parts of this rhetoric. For them, however, the nation remains central. They promote a kind of nationalist environmentalism, where protecting nature is framed as defending the homeland against globalization, immigration and liberal democracy.

These activists also reject both mainstream conservatism and the political left. They accuse conservatives of pandering to corporations and criticize the left for exploiting environmentalism for votes. In their eyes, both camps are complicit in the ecological damage caused by global capitalism.

In Italy today, ecofascism is more than a marginal ideology. It’s a growing cultural current that aims to reshape how we talk about nature, identity and society. Understanding how these ideas spread – especially online – is essential not only for scholars and policymakers, but for anyone committed to building responses to the climate crisis.

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Image credit: Demonstrators affiliated with far-right groups marching through the streets of Rome. Photograph taken by the author in the underground on 07/01/2012. Copyright held by the author.

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Read the Identities article:
​Guerra, N. (2025). The dark green agenda: tracing ecofascist ideologies and identities in Italy. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power. DOI: 10.1080/1070289X.2025.2525644

Read further in Identities:

Intersecting identities and global climate change

On the proximity of the far right and the misuses of the ‘mainstreaming’ metaphor   OPEN ACCESS

​Disentangling radical right populism, gender, and religion: an introduction