Free Trieste

D FOR DUMPING GROUNDS

D FOR DUMPING GROUNDS

Source: Greenaction Transnational: LINK

The original Italian version has an interesting “documents” section, in Italian.

D FOR DUMPING GROUNDS
OPERATION ATTILA AND THE DEVASTATION OF THE FREE TERRITORY OF TRIESTE: ORGANIZATION AND EXECUTION OF A STATE CRIME

For 50 years, Trieste’s province was one of Europe’s Cold War strongholds. Here, a particular system of government came to be: one suited to cover up the dirty business carried out in this special “Adriatic littoral” zone. An area full of illegal trafficking, espionage headquarters, and their networks. Like a wedge in enemy land. A conquered land, to keep under strict control.

For decades, Trieste, entrusted to the Italian Government under a provisional administration with the 1954 MoU regarding the Free Territory of Trieste, had this role and this role alone in Italian foreign policy. And to do so, it was fundamental keeping all key positions, be them military or civilian, under full control.

This huge structure is still here. Nobody bothered to dismantle it, not even after the end of the Cold War.

Indeed, maintaining this network is important to keep hiding what has been done to this land during the Cold War Era. This is why, despite its image as a “happy oasis” with extremely low crime rates, the province of Trieste hosts so many public security forces (Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza / financial police).

Plus, there are military bases “reused” for tourism (and yet, still under the army’s control). Often times, there are “former” ECM headquarters (electronic countermeasures, interceptions and espionage) and they look perfect to satisfy the needs of deviated services (the “parallel” security services, like “Gladio 2”). Such structures are still fully operational in this border area, and they are usually engaged in activities that go against NATO’s own goals.

Again, the purpose is to hide at all costs the Cold War’s effects on Trieste and its territory. And it is rather permanent side effects: we are talking about a serious environmental disaster, a crime committed with the protection of the aforementioned, shady, deviant powers.

Indeed, if time came to seriously investigate this unpleasant past, undesired ghosts would rise. Because the “system’s” landfills and dumping grounds, ranging from the Karst plateau to the sea, conceal more than “regular” waste. There is “special” waste as well, an evidence of the deviant system of power’s own activities.

Operation Attila:

Trieste’s territory is a special State dumping ground, exploited since the late 1950s, not long after then-Zone A of the Free Territory of Trieste was sub-entrusted to the Italian Government’s temporary civil administration.

Local public authority, with accurate preparations, decided to create huge dumping grounds. First by the sea, then on the Karst plateau. Here, they exploited the many doline (natural valleys) and caves.

Phase 1 Operation Attila lasts until the 1980s. At this point, pollution is wherever you can imagine it. It is fundamental finding new areas to further extend the dumping grounds system. The Gulf of Trieste seems the natural candidate. Maritime landfills expand, there is waste dumped right in the sea, more and more off from the coast. Still, it is not enough.

The project of “garbage islands” floats around. The first one should be 3 miles away from the coast, between Aurisina and Grado. The plan sounds like turning Trieste’s gulf in a national waste paradise. Criminal cartels like the idea. Politicians are ready to seal the deal. And then, suddenly, the international framework changes.

As the 1990s end, so do both Yugoslavia and the Warsaw pact. There are new nations in Europe, alliances change. Former enemies are now allies. The Italian contrast system on the eastern border is in crisis, it is time to abort Operation Attila.

Well, almost. Because public administrations are still enjoying the protection of the aforementioned network, so why not creating more landfills until the early 2000?

This waste disposal system works as simply as effectively. On the Karst plateau, there are doline (and dismissed pits) filled with waste until being leveled or… becoming hills. Then it was enough applying some dirty and calling it forced re-naturalization (planting some vegetables, even). Sometimes those areasend up as vineyards (enjoying a sponsorship as “agricultural works”).

Caves (in the region there are more than 300, and they are either polluted of obstructed) served mostly to collect liquid waste (hydrocarbon waste, acids, industrial sludge) or other very hazardous and dangerous waste (explosives, radioactive material). All waste that needed to disappear without leaving traces. The “system” did also exploit cases to store its weapons. Indeed, it was in 1972, when one such hiding place was discovered by accident, that the existence of “Gladio” emerged officially.

On the coasts, the dumping grounds consisted in discharging waste right in the sea, constantly. Such activities, labeled as “embanking” range from Barcola (incidentally, a seaside resort) to the present-day border with Slovenia (Muggia). Pollution affects also Trieste’s port. It is about 30 Km of dumping grounds by the sea. And again, on top of such polluted land, there are enterprises, industries, docks, leisure-time resorts, and of course seaside resorts.

There is also a third kind of dumping ground. For instances, the wetlands at the estuary of streams Rosandra and Ospo. The valleys, being embanked and turned into industrial areas, are now home to 350 companies.

Both valleys, but especially the Noghere valley, contain hazardous waste measurable in millions of cubic meters. The ground in the Noghere valley is so embanked that it is 2-3 meters higher than before. In some places, the embankment is 7 meters deep.

All of this is the result of absolute cooperation between local and national Italian authorities.

Indeed, Prefect and Commissioner of the Government’s office, the Prosecutor’s office, and the Magistrate’s court (Pretura) planned the operation together. For instance, there were Public Security Forces escorting special waste, and they worked side by side with men of the “services”.

Even Trieste’s port* had a role to play in this operation: It served as the system’s logistics base, for the coordination of all traffics. Some sort of shadow-port to carry out the Italian State’s dirty business. All at the expenses of the Free Territory of Trieste and of the international Community of States.

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*In 1900, Trieste was Austria-Hungary’s main port. Trieste dedicated itself to Austria willingly, and was part of it for 536 years. Trieste was the 2nd Mediterranean port, the 3rd in Europe. After being annexed to the Italian Kingdom (1920-1943) and since the Italian Government’s administration begun (1954 – ), despite being the only international Free Port in the world, Trieste fell behind. It is less than Europe’s 40th port. Its trades falling free. And this destroyed the whole economic tissue of Trieste, formerly an Austrian city.

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