On September 9, 2019, Facebook and Instagram suspended the social media accounts of Forza Nuova and another neo-fascist group, Casapound. Facebook claimed that the groups and some of their members had violated the platform’s policies against hate speech. Following the ban, Fiore said his group would respond with more street protests and recruitment. Individual members of Forza Nuova and Casapound brought a lawsuit against Facebook in the Court of First Instance in Rome, claiming the removal of the users’ pages was illegal and a violation of their right to freedom of expression. On February 23, 2020, the court issued a decision that upheld the removals, claiming that hate speech was not protected by the right to freedom of expression and Facebook was entitled to take action based on its Terms of Service.Reuters, “Facebook, Instagram Close Accounts of Italian Neo-fascist Groups,” VOA News, September 9, 2019, https://www.voanews.com/a/europe_facebook-instagram-close-accounts-italian-neo-fascist-groups/6175485.html; Global Freedom of Expression, “Forza Nuova v. Facebook Ireland NTD,” Columbia University, accessed October 15, 2021, https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/forza-nuova-v-facebook-ireland-ntd/.