“By supporting the Resolution on European Conscience and Totalitarianism, the National Assembly will explicitly and permanently express its rejection of all totalitarian regimes, regardless of their ideology, as they are all based on violence, human rights violations, and are therefore criminal and reprehensible. By supporting the resolution, the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia will express its deepest respect to all victims of all totalitarian regimes and thus join the joint efforts expressed in the resolution of the European Parliament,” the SDS MP Branko Grims said – but unfortunately, his prediction was wrong. Namely, the National Assembly did not support the Resolution on European Conscience and Totalitarianism.
In early November, we reported that the Committee on Justice, as the competent working body, had discussed and then approved the resolution, but unfortunately, the resolution was not adopted at the plenary on Thursday. The proposal for a declaration of support for the Resolution on European Conscience and Totalitarianism in Slovenia of the 2nd of April 2009 once again fell in the National Assembly – 42 deputies voted in favour of it, and 45 voted against. “Nevertheless, the vote shows who in Slovenia is capable of condemning fascism, Nazism and communism equally, and who is not,” wrote SDS MP Jure Ferjan.
“The historicity of the European Parliament’s Resolution on European Conscience and Totalitarianism lies in the fact that it expresses opposition to all totalitarianisms. It is necessary to preserve the memory because, without truth and remembrance, there can be no reconciliation and no common path forward,” said MP Branko Grims, who added in his address at the session of the National Assembly that he also strongly and clearly condemns all crimes against humanity and mass violations of human rights. Rejecting explicit support for the resolution undoubtedly means that one can (selectively) choose which of the totalitarianisms will (not) be condemned and that no totalitarianism – communism in particular – has been clearly condemned yet.
A duty to all victims of totalitarian systems
In his address before the vote, Grims added that the European Parliament had adopted the Resolution on European Conscience and Totalitarianism on the 2nd of April 2009, taking into account the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and previous resolutions on respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms. With it, the European Parliament showed its clear respect for all the victims of totalitarian and undemocratic regimes in Europe and expressed respect and tribute to all those who fought against tyranny and oppression, as well as renewed its commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Europe, based on values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
“We therefore propose that this historic declaration be adopted. It builds on what has already been done. Due to the paramount importance of the values on which a free, democratic, modern united Europe is founded, and since this is about explicit respect for the values which also constitute the very core of the values on which the independent state of Slovenia is founded, and above all out of the deepest respect for all the victims of all totalitarian regimes, we in the coalition completely renounce any further discussions of this declaration. However, we will vote in favour of it unanimously,” said Grims – the SDS party has submitted a proposal to the National Assembly to support the resolution several times before; however, the other MPs mostly rejected the proposal on the grounds that the National Assembly had already discussed the resolution in October 2009, and that there was therefore no need to express support for it.
Sara Bertoncelj
