The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance, released the following statement:

 

«The Day of Remembrance calls the Republic to reflect and show solidarity with the families and descendants of those who were cruelly killed and thrown into the sinkholes, of the Italians torn from their homes and forced into exodus, of all those on the eastern border who had to pay the highest human costs for the horrors of the Second World War and its prolongation in persecution, violent nationalism, oppressive totalitarianism.

 

It is a civil commitment to preserve and renew the memory of the tragedy of the Istrians, the people of Fiume, the Dalmatians and other Italians who had roots in those lands, so rich in culture and history and so stained with innocent blood. The survivors and exiles, together with their families, have been slow to see the truth of their suffering recognized. A wound that has been added to the others.

 

The wretched war wanted by fascism and the Nazi occupation were followed, for these Italians, by hostility, repression, terror, summary executions, aggravating the horrible succession of crimes against humanity that the twentieth century witnessed. Crimes that the people and lands of the eastern border experienced with dramatic intensity, generating trails of resentment and misunderstanding that have long marked the relations between neighboring peoples.

 

Europe born from peace and the dialogue revived by the affirmation of democracies have opened and developed a new path. These memories have earned respect, dignity, listening. They are lived history, a warning and responsibility for the future.

 

Memory, even the most painful, even that which originates from evil, can become a seed of peace and civil growth. This is the commitment that our country has been the protagonist of in recent years together with Slovenia and Croatia to make the border areas a land of encounter and prosperity, of collaboration, of hope. The choice of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, which will jointly be the European Capital of Culture 2025, demonstrates how important it is for the entire Union that the memory of the inhuman oppressions of the past has now become a path of friendship, of understanding, of the primacy of the dignity of people, in respect of diversity and rights".

Source: Presidency of the Republic – 10/02/2022