The European Parliament voted on a historic resolution to demand truth, justice and memory from Slovenia about the mass graves and extrajudicial executions perpetrated by Tito’s communist regime after World War II. It was a strong stance, long overdue, that saw European right-wingers converge in the name of historical truth and respect for the victims of red totalitarianism. But among the 266 votes against it was also the bloc of the Italian left: Partito Democratico, Movimento 5 Stelle, and Alleanza Verdi-Sinistra said no.
Europe asks for memory, the Italian left says no
The resolution, passed with 357 votes in favor and 16 abstentions, calls on Slovenia to resume the search for mass graves, ensure a proper burial for the thousands of victims of the foibe, and establish memorial sites. It also deplores the Slovenian government’s abolition of the National Day of Remembrance for the victims of communist violence in 2023. A decision described as extremely serious by the resolution’s signatories, who also call for a thorough examination of the archives of the Yugoslav intelligence services, particularly the KOS and UDBA, to shed full light on the crimes committed.
Between the lines of the resolution emerges a stark realization: all crimes of totalitarian regimes must be judged with equal severity, without double standards, without ideological amnesia. But for Pd, M5S and Avs, evidently, communism still remains an uncomfortable memory to be protected.
Fidanza (FdI): “It is the true face of the left.”
Carlo Fidanza, head of the delegation of Fratelli d’Italia to the European Parliament, made a very harsh comment:
“Today in Strasbourg the Italian left showed its true face. MEPs from Pd, M5S and Avs voted against a resolution calling for justice for the crimes committed by communist partisans and Tito’s regime. They chose to side with those who stopped the recovery of bodies from the foibe and erased the memory of the victims of communism.”
A stance that, according to Fidanza, confirms the historical ambiguity of a certain Italian left-wing, still unable to come to terms with the bloody legacy of Marxist-motivated totalitarianisms.
Malaguti: “Subjected to the ideological legacies of communism.”
Mauro Malaguti, national deputy of FdI, also spoke sharply:
“In Strasbourg, the Italian left voted against remembering the victims of Marshal Tito, showing that they do not even have pity for so many innocent people slaughtered with immense suffering, such as the infoibati. Communism sowed more despair and death than any other totalitarian ideology, but even today certain leftists remain submissive to its ideological legacies.”
A precise accusation, which strikes a raw nerve on the post-ideological left: the difficulty of unambiguously condemning the crimes of communism on par with those of Nazism and fascism.
Foibe, mass graves and revisionism: the numbers of shame
The resolution passed in Strasbourg reports disturbing figures. More than 100,000 Slovenes opposed to the communist regime were victims of persecution, torture and violence. Tens of thousands were summarily executed without trial. More than 750 mass graves have already been identified, but many more remain hidden. Even today, thousands of bodies lie nameless and unburied.
The Europarliament’s request is simple: honor the victims, provide historical clarity, and ensure justice and remembrance. Instead, there are those who prefer silence. In Slovenia, where the current government has cancelled all institutional commemoration initiatives. And in Italy, where the left pretends not to see.
The selective memory of Italian progressivism
This is not the first time that Pd, M5S and Avs have backed down from condemning communism. They had already refused in the past to pass resolutions equating the crimes of 20th century totalitarianisms. The line is always the same: one-way anti-fascism, soft denialism about red crimes, selective memory.
As if the victims of communism did not deserve justice. As if the foibe were an annoying detail of Italian history.
A battle of civilization
The Strasbourg vote is not just a formal act: it is a battle of civilization. Recognizing the horrors of communism is not a matter of political affiliation, but of respect for the truth and for the victims.
Those who vote against this recognition, those who still deny the barbarity of the foibe, are on the wrong side of history.
And while the Italian left is covered in shame, Italian patriots will continue to demand truth, memory and justice. Because there is no future without remembrance. And there is no freedom without condemnation of totalitarianism. All of them.
