Row over video of Lombardy councillor's 'fascist salute'

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 21 - Lombardy Executive Councillor for Security Romano La Russa is under fire after he apparently joined other mourners making a straight-armed fascist salute at the funeral of his brother-in-law.
    A video of the incident went viral online and sparked calls for Lombardy Governor Attilo Fontana and La Russa's party, Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) group, to reprimand him.
    La Russa, the younger brother of former defence minister and FdI bigwig Ignazio La Russa, said it was not a fascist salute but part of another ritual.
    "We call on La Russa to publicly disassociate himself (from what happened)," said Fabio Pizzul, the caucus head for the centre-left Democratic Party in the Lombardy regional assembly.
    "This is a very serious deed, not something worthy of a democratic institution like the Lombardy Region".
    Nicola Di Marco, the Lombardy caucus chief of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), said what had happened was "unacceptable".
    "Giorgia Meloni and Brothers of Italy are duty-bound to intervene immediately as La Russa represents the regional executive and, as a result, Lombardy," Di Marco said. (ANSA).