Slovenia condemns anti-Slovenian vandalism incident on Monte Matajur
Ljubljana/Trieste, 1 August - The Foreign Ministry has condemned a recent incident involving vandalised Slovenian inscriptions on a bilingual sign post on the Italian side of Mt Matajur. The mountain, which is located on the border between Slovenia and Italy, holds a special significance for members of the Slovenian minority there.
The disgraceful incident shows a lack of respect for linguistic and cultural diversity in the area, the ministry said on X. It expects the authorities to track down the perpetrators, who painted three Slovenian hut or place names black.
The ministry is confident that Mt Matajur, which "holds a special symbolic meaning for the Slovenians in the Veneto region, will remain an important place of bonding for hikers from both sides of the border and a place where friendship between the two neighbouring nations and countries will continue to be strengthened in the future".
The incident was also condemned by the Slovenian Union, a political party representing the Slovenian minority in Italy, which described it as an act committed by anti-Slovenian vandals.
It is regrettable that such unacceptable actions are still happening despite the successful efforts to bridge the divides in Europe, the party said in a press release as it highlighted the value of multilingualism.
The vandalised sign post has greatly upset the local community, said the Trieste-based minority newspaper Primorski Dnevnik, which first reported on the incident on Tuesday.