A statue of controversial
proto-Fascist poet and self-styled military leader Gabriele
D'Annunzio was defaced with yellow paint in Trieste at the
weekend.
Authorities said they were confident CCTV footage would help
them find the culprits.
Croatia condemned the inauguration of the statue on the 100th
anniversary, on September 12, 2019, of the Decadent poet, airman
and militarist's occupation of Fiume or Rijeka in 1919.
Croatia handed a note to the Italian ambassador in Zagreb
condemning the statue "in the strongest terms".
It noted that this inauguration had happened "exactly on the day
that marks the centenary of the occupation of Rijeka".
According to a Croatian foreign ministry communique sent to
ANSA, the act "contributes to disrupting the relations of
friendship and good neighbourliness between the two countries".
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic also firmly
condemned the "inauguration of the scandalous statue of
discord".
She said Italo-Croatian relations were founded today "on
values that are totally in contrast with (the actions of) the
man to whom the scandalous statue has been dedicated".
The statue "celebrates Irredentism and the occupation of
Rijeka, which was and will remain a proud part of its Croatian
homeland".
D'Annunzio, a larger than life figure who became a legend in
his time, seems to have tried to do almost everything to excess.
He had countless love affairs, including a fiery relationship
with the world-famous actress Eleanora Duse, took part in duels,
committed heroic feats in World War I and occupied Fiume (now
Rijeka) in 1919. Later he supported Fascist political ideas but
was progressively sidelined by Mussolini.
An accomplished poet, novelist and dramatist who in his works
combined naturalism, symbolism, and erotic images, he was
considered the best interpreter of European Decadence in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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