Remembrance Day 2019 is a fundamental stage in the reconstruction of the historical truth regarding the most tragic pages of history on the eastern Italian border. First because the words pronounced by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella during the institutional ceremony held at the Quirinale on February 9 have condemned without appeal the justificationists and deniers. In front of 300 exiles and representatives of the associations of the Adriatic diaspora and on live television, the Head of State has grasped the peculiar aspects of our history and has been able to present them to all Italians in a heartfelt and convincing manner, without reticence and omissions regarding the foibe, the exodus, Tito's executioners and the communist responsible for the suffering of the Julian-Dalmatian people.

This event was preceded by other important initiatives. From 5 to 7 February, a photographic exhibition and two round tables at the European Parliament promoted by the National Association of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia, the Adriatic Coordination Association and the Documentation Centre for Julian, Istrian, Rijeka and Dalmatian Culture made our history known to Europe; at the same time, we asked the successor states of Yugoslavia to open their archives to find out the fate of those deported by Tito and presented at a European level the violated rights of Istrian, Rijeka and Dalmatian exiles. On the evening of 8 February, approximately one million Italians watched “Red Land – Rosso Istria” on television, the film dedicated to the martyrdom of Norma Cossetto and made with the economic and cultural support of the Anvgd, which continues to be shown in various cinemas.

To seal these events, the ceremony at the Basovizza Foiba on February 10 reaffirmed the institutional sensitivity towards the issues dear to us: the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, the Vice President of the Council Matteo Salvini and the Mayor of Trieste Roberto Dipiazza made significant and not circumstantial speeches.

This February 10, 2019 represents a turning point because there was a choral condemnation of the small minority of deniers and justificationists and because the world of the Julian-Dalmatian exodus found that it was listened to and paid attention by the Italian and European institutions: the Remembrance is consolidated, the commitment to the resolution of the still open questions left as a legacy by the Exodus and the Peace Treaty continues.

 

Renzo Codarin
President of the Multimedia Documentation Center of Julian, Istrian, Rijeka and Dalmatian Culture