Free Trieste

Even patience has its limits, and when others become aggressive enough to cross certain limits, it is necessary defending clearly and firmly the truth and the role of law, even before oneself.

Since mid-April [2014] a small group of variously compromised individuals, the majority of whom has a background in the Italian nationalistic right-wing, enjoying the support of Italian circles and media, which inflate the number of their supporters, has organized with a bunch of lies and deceits a golpe inside Free Trieste. Their goal is paralyzing the Movement’s successful legal and international actions, which Rome has no arguments against.

Public opinion is still confused, but Free Trieste stood still. So, the golpe’s failed supporters ganged up in via Roma [later Crispi] establishing a rough, low-level imitation movement, to keep defaming us from the outside, and to let people confused.

They called it with the grotesque name “Cubic Free Territory” (Territorio Libero al cubo, as in TL3) and pretend, on line and with the support of the local boot-licking Italian-language and Slovene-language press, that their 200 supporters be thousand, that Free Trieste does and matters nothing, that its leaders be hidden in some bunker, and so on.

All false claims, luckily.

But this fake pro-independence gang and the Italian media keep repeating them, in an attempt to “jerkube around” all the naïve people who believe them.

And as the official Italian nationalistic celebrations of October 26th (the hypocrite anniversary of the fake 1954 “redemption”) get near, the instigators-agents that lead such dirty operations have literally entered an operative frenzy.

For instance, with means yet to identify, they caused the defection of other, clearly weak members of Free Trieste’s management board; some of whom have immediately turned against it, attacking the Movement online with lies, insults, and defamations more and more violent, and rather similar to those of the “cubic” gang.

And, of course, that gang immediately jumped on the bandwagon, reigniting its own, even more extreme violent campaign. Their goal is spreading hate and spite against Free Trieste’s President, Roberto Giurastante, well-known opponent of corruption and mafias, and against me, for my roles of legal-political analyst and my job as journalist.

The reason is obvious, and it is always the same: to enjoy the rights of the Free Territory it is not enough marching in the streets and talking in some bar, rather, it takes a serious, competent, balanced political-diplomatic action. So far, the only people who showed the capacity and courage to do it are only those two, and the opposing Italian interests attempt to get rid of them making it look like settling of accounts from the inside.

Spreading hate, inciting violence

This is why in their propagandas, both on line and on the press, which appear well-planned by experts and supported by the local newspaper, the violent “cubes” that serve Italian interests are paradoxically twisting the story portraying us as idiots, frauds, evil enemies, “snakes”, unworthy beings, and even traitors of the Free Territory, paid and manipulated, and they keep repeating that, because of this, we must be “eliminated”, “exterminated”, “crucified” and such, accompanying such concepts with insulting caricatures, images of machine guns, or other weapons.

Long story shoer, what they do is trying to incide against Giurastante and me impressionable people through an outright, organized lynching on the press, which is abnormally violent and unprecedented in Trieste, be it against despised criminals, or against the many corrupt politicians. All while the local Italian judiciary and police forces either under-evaluate or complaint or react to them with much delay.

The intensity, level, and impunity of this public incitement has also alarmed observers and analysts who focus on this area, who confidentially provide a worried analysis pointing out that physical attacks are never hard to organize: all it takes is someone to influence or pay.

Even more so considering that the threats come from a circle that united Italian agents and previous offenders with compromised people with contacts in this area (Trieste, Slovenia, Croatia), with people involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and training with weapons. All of whom seem to enjoy the same special immunities, and have never forgiven us for discovering and denouncing them to public opinion.

Still, it is rather certain that whoever succeeds in getting rid of us would enjoy no little prizes from Italian circles – both legal and not – whose main interest is paralyzing the serious international action for the Free Territory of Trieste.

Loads of offensive lies

At the same time, the “cubes” try also to demolish our international action portraying it as fake and useless with loads of offensive lies, gossip, and chatting, even with the support of the second wave of mutineers.

They tell to unaware users that our Vienna press conference of 9 September [2014] is some ridicule chatting in a coffee, our meeting with the Southern Tyrolleans pure foolery, and so on and on.

The best answer to such Italian political-style deceptive propagandas is inviting anyone to make an opinion for him/herself reading our press notes and main documents, which are available HERE.

The “cubic” gang attempts to defame us also telling around that our legal initiatives for the compensation of military service and other internazionale legal action lack legal ground according to some lawyer-friend of theirs. One more lie, which shows well that those mutineers are only trying to stop the effective actions for the Free Territory that embarrass the Italian system to no end.

A new wave of bragging and fooling around

Yet, besides attempting to discredit us, the slandering “cubes” are also bragging about some foolish international actions they promoted, which are in facts some rather low-level activities.

Indeed, while the Free Trieste Movement (and its 2,800 members) keeps developing with legal care its international actions, from the Notice of Default to the Italian Government sent abroad, to the presentation, in Vienna, of the warning about the Free Port, to all other fundamental preparatory documents, the “cubes” planned some soccer game with Zone A against former Zone B, a “motorbike rally”, a sad concert, and a fake evidence of former Zone B’s alleged existence, as well as trying to sell as high diplomacy a school trip-like London tour.

A London tour and a fake NGO

The trip sold as diplomatic action consisted in 45 people (the press wrote 150) feeding in some pub, giving out flyers in Trafalgar square singing “viva là e po bon” (a folk song along the lines of like “let it be, who cares”), giving some handout to the Italian embassy, being kicked out of Russia’s and singing before the U.S. embassy “e quando che a Trieste xe rivadi i americani iera gobi anche i cani” (“and when the Americans came to Trieste, even dogs were very sad”), confident that “tanto no i capissi” (they don’t understand it anyways).

Long story short, it is a shame that those people went to London claiming to represent Trieste and its stand for independence, which is born of the tradition, culture, and sacrifices of Cergoly, Cusin, Giampiccoli, and many other serious, capable, brave Triestine citizens and activists ever since the 1950s.

In their London tour they used also the so-called “Triest NGO” which in truth is an ordinary LLC, seized by four people (one of whom is a previous offender and under trial for frauds) all while establishing ambiguous contacts and taking the about EUR 15,000 destined to pay the international law expertise Free Trieste has commissioned, yet, they are trying to keep for themselves (if so, they are being soon investigated also in London).

An unbelievable press availability

The bosses of this nice gang did also summon a press conference on October 17th [2014]. They attempted to sell as important international actions what in truth is their latest frauds and rough, counterproductive initiatives.

Except, this time their usual, odd mix of irresponsibility and political ignorance, supported by pro-Italian circles, may add to mere grotesque some unneeded international  disturbance harming both the Free Territory and the stability of the former Yugoslav area.

We learned about it from a broken synthesis of their press conference, published on the Facebook page (with 12,000 fans) that they stole to Free Trieste in May, only to rename it (after we denounced them) after their cubic fraud-movement.

Harmful international tensions

The cubic gang claim to have established connections with Basque separatist senator Urko Aiartza, with a «right hand man» (Lawrence Webb) of Nigel Farage’s in extremist, far-right British party UKIP and with unmentioned “pro-independence” European Parliamentarians, for them to open internationally and before the British Parliament the question of the Free Territory, including in it also former “zone B” to open a dispute with Slovenia and Croatia.

Doing so would mean sinking the true question of the Free Territory, which is about Trieste and the Free Port, it would mean supporting nationalistic right wings, causing unneeded international tensions. And this would not play in Trieste’s favor, rather, in that of the old Italian nationalism of the border area, and to Rome’s usual politics.

The “cubic” ones do also claim to have important documents regarding “Zone B” citizenship ready for use. But this is one of their shameless frauds, and one already unmasked: they try to sell as current citizenship act some mere certified copy (hence the “2014” stamp of Slovenia’s authorities) of some 1954 document.

A grotesque show

Yet, their grotesque show did go as far as claiming that, while in London, thanks to “contacts within Buckingam Palace” [sic!] they offered Queen Elizabeth “gifts and a letter” as well as, “for information” to premier David Cameron, as well as handing documents to the Russian and US embassies in London, and, even, that the Russians offered diplomatic confidences to them. While, again, their London trip was as ridiculous as we described it.

They also claim to be opening some “infringement proceeding” against Italy”, seemingly before the EU, for failure to comply with arts. 1-20 of Annex VIII of the 1947 Treaty of Peace. But the EU has no competences on the matter. They are announcing their own popular petitions, and bPreannunciano anche loro petizioni popolati, e si brag about doing all of this at the direction of alleged “contacts” with UN offices.

Finally, just like Italian politicians, hence without the civil courage to pronounce our names, that certain “characters” (us, Free Trieste) “discredited” and even “connected with the most antiprogressive Italian circles” be “working tirelessly” to sabotate their work.

So, conclude in a threatening way the “cubic” via Roma [Crispi] gang, those “characters” (us) «must be further isolated and it must be sure that they can do no harm».

How should we read it? As a criminally prosecutable thread, and a credible one, coming from a political gang like theirs, which includes previous offenders, sluggers and armed people? Or as the braying of some Italian style political asses?

The discredit the struggle for Trieste’s independence

Anyways, it is clear that those people are not just “jerkubing around” Trieste’s public opinion to support, without saying it aloud, Italian interests and discrediting the stand for Trieste’s rights as a whole, downgrading it to small talk and bar chatting. All while proclaiming their failing program to turn it into some local political party, win some office, and trade Trieste’s independence with some call for autonomy in Italy. Ending up like the old Lista per Trieste.

They are trying to do reach the international level, despite lacking the needed knowledge, ultimately ending up taking contact with their peers (culturally and politically): far-right nationalists who support absurd territorial claims against Slovenia and Croazia, even with fake papers. At this point, it is impossible telling if they are dumb or frauds.

Foul play with Trieste’s rights

Still, even if Totò selling Trevi fountain is still laughable, they sure are not. And, at this point, not even the joke about them “jerkubing” people around is funny anymore.

Because those political inept individuals are still making foul play with the rights to live and work of all the people of Trieste, and their actions risk to compromise it right before those international authorities the support of which is fundamental for a serious, qualified and effective action as is Free Trieste’s, which is also withstanding their violent attacks and shameful betrayals.

What is with such frauds and planned parties the “cubic” ones win some seat in a local authority? Well, they certainly aren’t an establishment worth independent Trieste, which, let us say it clearly, needs much more serious, prepared, smart and capable leaders.

At this point, it is fundamental asking ourselves, seriously and urgently, who is the ones that, for Trieste’s sake, should actually be quickly C’è da chiedersi dunque davvero, con serietà ed urgenza, chi siano quelli che per il bene di Trieste dovrebbero essere veramente e rapidamente «isolated and it must be sure that they can do no harm»: we, Free Trieste’s active legal and political staff, of them, the “cubic” fake supporters of independence?

Paolo G. Parovel

(English translation: Silvia Verdoglia – Verdoljak).