UPDATE: in July 2017 the Court declared that Free Trieste’s demonstration was not subversive, read more HERE
Monday 9 November 2015, Court of Trieste. The trial against 19 citizens of the Free Territory beings, they are charged with taking part to a demonstration in defense of the integrity of the international Free Port of Trieste.
This was Free Trieste’s demonstration. All accused parties were members of the Movement back then, on 10 February 2014. They were protesting the Italian authorities’ attempt to suppress the Northern Free Port of Trieste to use its areas in an illegal housing speculation under anti-mafia questions that. Since then, the operation has well continued.
For more information: please refer to analysis “The scandal of the Italian fraud-law that violates the international Free Port of Trieste and the rights of all other States” on investigative newspaper La Voce di Trieste: LINK.
Houses, touristic marina, shopping centers, hotels, instead of a strategic sector of the only international Free Port in the world, which exists only as State corporation of the Free Territory: a mortal blow to the present-day FTT, entrusted to the defaulting Italian Government under a special trusteeship mandate.
This time, the trial is unusual. Out of 19 accused persons, only 5 are still part of the Free Trieste Movement. The others left it to join a new group that is to run in the 2016 administrative election. An Italian election summoned in the Free Territory of Trieste.
Citizens of the Free Territory of Trieste who abandoned the legal battle for their State’s rights are now devoting themselves to simulate Italian sovereignty over it. They act like collaborationists, willing to sell themselves to an occupying State. Treason has a very bitter aftertaste.
During the hearing, it all goes as planned. I am part of the group of the “irreducible” five men who do not recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Italy over the Free Territory of Trieste.
The hearing starts about 10 minutes late, the court hall is very crowded. This time the presence of public security forces is much more discreet.
Time for preliminary exceptions: our lawyer questions jurisdiction and unconstitutionality.
In the exception of unconstitutionality, we confirm the exception about the lack of Italian jurisdiction over Trieste. This depends on the ending of Italian sovereignty over Trieste in 1947.
We do also raise the question of the non-neutrality of an Italian judge in this trial, and about the conflict of interests consisting in the presence, here in Trieste, of Italian judges who decide in violation of the very Constitution of the Republic of Italy, claiming that the Free Territory does not exist in spite of Italian laws on the matter.
The other accused persons, the majority of whom are at the hearing, do not even bother to lodge exceptions on jurisdiction.
They could do it even alone, without the support of their lawyers. I did it in 2011. But they stay silent, waiting to see that is next. Which is, their lawyers don’t present any exceptions of jurisdiction either.
They think it is all “fine”. To them, it is Free Italy, not Free Trieste.
As the hearing is ending, finally, the lawyers of the 12 former members of our Movement must claim they support our own exception about jurisdiction. To not lose face before public opinion.
However, it is clear that they are doing it by sheer obligation. If it weren’t for us, the trial would go on as if it were taking place in Italy, with all that follows. And it would have already ended with the absolute recognition of a sovereignty that, again, ended in 1947 and cannot be restored. Not even trading the rights of the Free Territory with some seats in the City Council.
But it won’t be like this. Not this time. The five of us will resist, in the name of all citizens of the Free Territory of Trieste. Even the traitors.
The judge reserves to decide about the exceptions, postponing the to next week. The trial continues on 16 November [2015], and the outcome is yet to be written.
Translated from blog “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante