The Government of the Republic of Slovenia should withdraw the cancellation of the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communist Violence

The recent and unexpected decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to cancel the national day in remembrance of the victims of communist violence (17 May) has greatly surprised the public, including among Slovenians abroad. The abolition has further aggravated relations in the political sphere and also among ordinary people. This is not good and goes in the opposite direction to the national reconciliation that the Slovenian nation needs.

The presidents of the apical Slovenian organizations NSKS – Narodni svet koroških Slovencev (National Council of Carinthian Slovenes – Austria) and SSO – Confederation of Slovenian Organizations (Italy), Dr. Valentin Inzko and Walter Bandelj, initiated the initiative for a public appeal to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, as well as all other state institutions, to avoid actions that lead to or deepen the historical ideological conflict. NSKS and SSO agree with the statement of the former President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor on the abolition of the national day of remembrance for the victims of communist violence and call for action in the spirit of the SAZU (Slovenian Academy of Science and Art) declaration on the reconciliation of the Slovenian people.

The presidents of NSKS and SSO wish that this appeal may be an expression of the widest possible community and therefore invite all members of the Slovenian linguistic minority in Italy and Austria who agree with this appeal to express their support by contacting the office of NSKS (+43 0463 512528 – office@nsks.at ) or SSO (+39 0481 536455 – gorica@ssorg.eu).

So far, 101 signatures have been collected from Slovenian cultural and political personalities from Austria and Italy. The request for signatures will be sent to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in the coming days.

APPEAL

The undersigned members of the Slovenian national community in Austria and Italy

We follow with concern the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to cancel the national day in memory of the victims of communist violence during and after the Second World War, which further aggravates political relations in Slovenia, as well as among Slovenians outside the borders of the Republic of Slovenia. In this sense, we support the statement of the former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, dated 18 May 2023, especially in the part where he states:

"There were undoubtedly victims of communist violence, there is no doubt about that. Following the decision of the government of Prime Minister Golob, there is no longer a national day in their memory. This is not only bad and wrong, but in light of other decisions of this government (the abolition or accession of the Museum of Independence) it is worrying. All these decisions quickly and needlessly destroy the social consensus that has been established over the last 15 years regarding appropriate political discourse and behavior regarding our recent history, which reached its intellectual and political peak with the Declaration Slovenska sprava (Slovenian Reconciliation) of the SAZU - The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts."

The above-mentioned communist violence has already been extensively and professionally proven historically, as well as other facts: from the fascist and Nazi occupation and collaboration to the post-war communist dictatorship, all of which belong to the history of the Slovenian nation.

The creation of the independent and democratic Republic of Slovenia, which the Slovenian nation unanimously decided on in the plebiscite of 1990, paved the way for national reconciliation, which many Slovenians at home, abroad and around the world have hoped for and still hope for. Reconciliation can occur if each side is given an equal and irreplaceable role in the national organism. Only in this way will it be possible to look more freely and openly to the future, which opens up especially to the younger generations of the Slovenian nation.

We, the undersigned, call upon all political parties in Slovenia, starting with the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, to refrain from actions that would lead to further disastrous separation. We firmly support the work of state institutions in the spirit of the SAZU Declaration on Reconciliation, and even before that with a more consistent observance of the fundamental principles of the Slovenian Constitution and European charters and in accordance with the impulses that encouraged the Slovenian nation to create a democratic and free state and to fully participate in the process of European integration. The latter arises from the conviction of the fathers of modern Europe that development and cooperation are possible only on the basis of peace, both between nations and within the nation itself.