Slovenia condemns fascist salutes in Trieste
Trieste/Rome/Ljubljana, 22 May - Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar has condemned fascist saluting by a group of people commemorating the late right-wing politician Almerigo Grilz in Trieste on Friday. "The salutes we've seen in Trieste are a symbol of a time that has brought hatred, divisions, violence," she tweeted. The Foreign Ministry also condemned the incident.
Ljubljana
President Nataša Pirc Musar.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
File photo
The newspaper Primorski Dnevnik reported that the group gathered in Via Paduina, a meeting place of right-wing radicals, to mark 36 years since the death of Grilz, a politician and war correspondent.
Pirc Musar, who has been on a working visit in Italy and the Vatican since Friday, tweeted on Sunday that she and her Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella underlined their countries' dedication to a future-oriented Europe of respect and cooperation.
The salutes have triggered a lot of criticism, above all in Trieste, because the assessor of Friuli-Venezia Giulia for the environment and energy, Fabio Scoccimarro, was also present at the gathering. He is a member of the country's ruling party Brothers of Italy.
The Slovenian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident on Monday, saying that it will always react to such acts, as it did in the past, particularly if they are directed against Slovenia or its citizens.