In recent days, the Slovenian left has been quite agitated by what is happening on the Italian political floor. Namely, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, on the occasion of the Italian Day of Remembrance of the post-war killings and the mass exodus of Italians from Istria, Rijeka and Dalmatia, expressed her support for the removal of the decoration from the Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz – Tito. In light of this, it seems important to remind the Slovenian left that such initiatives are not new.
Almost ten years ago, the German writer and Nobel Prize winner of Romanian origin, Herta Müller, demanded that Germany posthumously strip former communist leaders Nicolae Ceausescu and Josip Broz – Tito of their high honours.
“Stripping them of the awards would be an important correction and a clear signal of how high honours will be awarded by the German state in the future,” said Herta Müller in an interview with Focus magazine at the time.
In the 1970s, the former totalitarian leaders of Romania and Yugoslavia were awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, even though the security services of both countries carried out assassinations of dissidents on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The writer stated in an interview that in the 1970s, her assassination was foiled, and the person who wanted to assassinate her was arrested. Evidence of premeditated murder was found on the person arrested, Ziare.com reported a few years ago.
The Danube Swabians have also demanded the stripping of honours
The Association of Exiled Danube Swabians and the Cultural Foundation of the Danube Swabians also presented a demand for the withdrawal of the decoration in 2011. The Danube Swabians held Tito responsible for the deprivation of rights of some 200,000 Danube Swabians and their deportation to labour camps. Between 1945 and 1948 alone, more than 50.000 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, allegedly died in these camps, the newspaper Delo reported in 2011.
Ž. K.
