In 1996, before it became the infamous Italian far-right party Lega, the Northern League was an activist movement fighting for northern Italian independence. With local business owners tired of paying high taxes to support the struggling south, and corruption in the nation’s government in Rome, the grassroots separatist movement gained momentum. The Northern League is led by Umberto Bossi, who gives impassioned speeches to rapturous crowds who gather to see him and shake his hand. Though he compares himself to Ghandi, Bossi’s policies are often carried out through violence and threats, and he is always flanked by militaristic ‘greenshirts’. This informed documentary reveals the beginnings of the Lega, which would soon go on to be Italy’s third largest party, and the growing difficulties in the relationship between Italy’s north and south.

Produced by ABC Australia