A BULLDOG named after Mussolini has learned some very politically-minded new tricks.

Benito raises his paw in a fascist salute when his owner says ‘Arriba Espana’, a much-used slogan among General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist supporters during the Civil War.

Benito’s performance has had nearly 200,000 views in the 48 hours since it was uploaded.

The little French pup goes on to play dead when it hears mention of Pablo Iglesias, in the 13-second YouTube video that has gone viral.

Wearning a Spanish flag necktie, Benito rolls on his back when his right-wing owners says ‘the pony-tailed one is coming’, a reference to the leader of the anti-corruption party Podemos.

But Iglesias is apparently not offended, brushing aside Benito’s antics and tweeting that he laughed when he saw the video.

“They’ve named him after Mussolini and his owner must be a right fascist, but this dog is great,” he tweeted to his 688,000 followers. “I laughed a lot.”

Podemos is the most popular political party in Spain according to current opinion polls.

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