Who were the Blackshirts in Mussolini’s Fascist movement?

The Blackshirts were the armed paramilitary squads of the Italian Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini, named for the black shirts they wore as part of their uniform.12

Initially organized in March 1919 as Squadre d’Azione ("Action Squads"), these groups were formed to violently suppress political and economic organizations, including those of socialists, communists, republicans, trade unionists, and Catholics. Their aggressive tactics, which resulted in hundreds of deaths, were instrumental in expanding the Fascist movement's influence.12

The Blackshirts played a decisive role in Mussolini’s rise to power by participating in the March on Rome in October 1922. Following this, they were officially institutionalized in 1923 as the Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security. The use of such violence to dismantle democratic institutions and suppress political opposition is fundamentally incompatible with the ethical principles of human rights and the rule of law. The Blackshirts and their uniform ultimately fell into disgrace following Mussolini's fall in 1943.12