Independence of the Venetian Republic, Patrik Riondato's answers to the most frequently asked questions?

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Independence of the Venetian Republic, Patrik Riondato's answers to the most frequently asked questions?

The Movimento Veneti was a Venetist separatist political movement which aimed to return "the full and formal sovereignty of the Popolo Veneto (Venetian People) through the exercise of the right to self-government of their homeland through non-violent and lawful democratic methods, also exercising the right to self-determination as recognized in international law". (Statute, Art. 4 Purpose).

Founded on 26 November 2006 in Padua, Movimento Veneti par ła Indipendensa de ła Venetia was also more commonly known as I Veneti (The Venetians).

The manifesto defines the expression Popolo Veneto as meaning those “communities of individuals who, aware of sharing a historical, cultural and ethno-linguistic heritage, mutually recognize themselves as part of the Venetian nation” (Manifesto, 1).

Also, the manifesto continues "Since the collapse of the Repubblica Serenissima di Venezia (Most Serene Republic of Venice) our country has been a victim of colonial treatment with a sequence of historical events marked out by a constant ethical, moral, social and economical decline. We resolve to remove such negative effects by promoting the independence of the Venetian Nation." (Manifesto, 3).

They believed that the “political path aimed at restoring the sovereignty of the Popolo Veneto could no longer be achieved through state constitutional reforms”. To this end, they considered it “essential to use international legal instruments and in particular the principle of self-determination of peoples” (Manifesto, 5).

They claimed Venice as the capital of the Venetians, and as “a city that has no equal in the world” (Manifesto, 6).

The manifesto ends with the statement that “the moral and political rebirth of the Venetians is linked to the individual will to reclaim their identity as the Popolo Veneto is at risk of extinction” (Manifesto, 7).

Patrik Riondato as president of I Veneti (2006-2010), wrote an elegant document on their position in the form of a number of questions and answers, concerning the socio-political and historical problems related with Venetian independence (FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions).

F.A.Q – EN

The Movement I Veneti answers the most frequently asked questions

1. Why do you seek the independence of the Venetian lands and not of Lombardy-Venetia?

1.1. Lombardy-Venetia (It. Lombardoveneto o Lombardo-Veneto) was a short-lived Austrian invention, with Milan as its Capital.

1.2. If anything, we can use the label Venetian Lombardy to indicate those Venetian lands that are presently included within the Italian region of Lombardy.

2. Why do you seek the independence of the Venetian lands and not of “Padania”?

2.1. The independence of the supposed “Padania” would violate the unity of Italy because Piedmont and the whole Milanese lands are founding members of the Italian State. Italy originated just from them. Indeed, attempts (failed) to invade the Venetian lands proceeded from Southern Italy, but also from Northern Italy.

2.2. Taking away these founding territories amounts to taking away a part of Italy, that is, it means to break its unity. Northern League is right when it defines “Padania” as Northern Italy.

3. Doesn’t the independence of the Venetian lands break the unity of Italy?

3.1. Italy was proclaimed without the Venetian lands. The Venetian lands (especially, Veneto) were added later, when Italy had already come to life.

3.2. Thus, Italy’s existence does not depend on the Venetian lands. Even without the Venetian lands, Italy would still be united, as it was united before adding Veneto.

4. Today, Italian law is in force in Veneto. Doesn’t this mean that Veneto is a part of Italy?

4.1. The fact that, in a given territory A, the law of territory B applies does not imply automatically that A is part of B.

4.2. Territory A may be subjected to the de facto laws of B without being part of it. A clear point in case are the colonies.

5. Being annexed, the Venetian lands became a part of Italy anyway. Why don’t you take this into consideration?

5.1. Italy maintains that the Venetian lands are one of its regions, but the annexation of the Venetian lands was neither legitimized by a military conquest, nor by a democratic vote.

5.2. Italy did not win, its allies won.

5.3. A referendum (the plebiscite) was required for the annexation, thus acknowledging that this was not legitimized by any military events.

5.4. At the same time, the vote of the referendum (the plebiscite) was neither free nor secret, hence it was not democratic.

5.5. Indeed, the annexation took place two days before the vote, thus it was not even legitimized by a democratic vote.

6. Why do you not consider the cultural and geographical aspect? By taking away the Venetian lands, the political unity of the Italian peninsula would be broken

6.1. Presently, three States occupy the Italian peninsula: Italian Republic, Vatican City State and Most Serene Republic of San Marino.

6.2. Consequently, the peninsula is not politically unified. This does not depend on the Venetian lands. The taking of the Venetian lands does not break the unity of the peninsula, because the peninsula is not unified.

6.3. Confusion between political Italy and geographical Italy arises because the name “Italy” has been used (as a State name), the same name employed for geographical Italy (i.e. the Italian peninsula). As if Spain chose for itself the name Iberia and then tried to justify the annexation of Portugal by claiming: since Portugal is a part of geographical Iberia (the Iberian peninsula), it is also a part of Iberia (the State).

7. Why don’t you take into consideration the fact that many people, proceeding from different parts of Italy died on your mountains?

7.1. Those people were taken from their lands and sent to die thousands of kilometres far from their home, as those that today go from Naples to Sarajevo. They were victims of a State that, in the words of its Founding Father's Cavour, sought war to solve its internal trouble: «I yearn for a war with Austria for reasons of internal order».

7.2. Those dead do not prove that the Venetian lands belong to Italy, but must be remembered for having fought at our side. Their death must be lamented because they were part of a State that sent them to die far from their homes in order to solve its problems.

7.3. One must also recall to mind all of those Italian soldiers that Italy sent to die in our land, not to help us, but in the attempt to annex us. They do not prove that the Venetian lands are part of the Italian State (indeed, they prove that these lands must be taken by force), but they were victims of the Italian State, as well.

8. Why are you stuck in the past?

8.1. For us, independence means to pick up the thread of our past and connect it with the thread of days still to come.

8.2. Independence is not the past. Independence means being free to reconnect past and future, going over the present in which we are now stuck.

9. Through the independence of Venetian lands, would you like to go back to a State whose organization is now outranked by modern cultural achievements?

9.1. Independence of a State is a notion different than the organization of a State. Choosing the independence for a State is different than determining the organization of that State.

9.2. For us independence means freedom to enhance the legal achievements of our past through the legal achievements of modern democracies.

9.3. As the Serenìsima survived while it was able to reform itself constantly, independence means for us being free to improve our system in the future.

10. With independence, would you like to go back to a Venetian land under the rule of a Dominant Venice?

10.1. Venice takes its name from Venetia, which indicated the Venetian lands since antiquity. Venice, as Serenìsima, was one of the Venetian cities that in a certain historical period played the role of Dominant city and was renowned in the world for its modernity, its culture and the Venetian talent.

10.2. Venice is still a historical-cultural benchmark for us, the Veneti of today, and it is still considered as the Capital of the Veneti. A modern Venetian State, however, must take into consideration the poly-centrism of present Venetian lands, which are organized as a “network”. Of cities and roads, of economic and social centres and relations.

11. Why would you like to secede from Italy? Because you hate Italians? Because you hate “terroni (southerners)”?

11.1. We do not secede or break away from Italy because, in order to do so we should be part of it.

11.2. We are simply looking for the possibility of exercising our suspended right (self-government) and we do not do it out of hatred. We only aim to exercise one of our rights, all the more so because small states are more flexible and can more easily overcome crises.

11.3. The word “terroni or southerners” is a derogatory word that does not belong to our political language and has no meaning: we do not see “terroni”, but rather see peoples of the Italian Peninsula. And people of Europe.

11.4. It is not up to us to explain the reasons for our independence, it is rather Italy that has to explain on what basis it continues to "hold us back" and consider us its Region.

11.5. Thinking that being two different States means hating each other reflects the mental attitude of a State built on hatred against "the Barbarians" and against "the enemy". Consequently it is a natural idea for the Italian mentality, but it does not belong to the Venetian mentality. When we are independent we will be able to be "neighbouring states", instead of being under Italian rule.

12. What is the point of the new states now that Europe is moving towards union?

12.1. In recent years, other states have already been created within the European Union (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia). Greenland is moving towards independence.

12.2. In Europe there are a series of "quasi-states" that no one talks about: Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.

12.3. Belgium, at the heart of the EU, is gradually dividing into Wallonia and Vlaanderen.

12.4. To be represented in Europe it is necessary to be a State and not a Region.

12.5. Slovenians, for example, elect their president who participates in meetings of heads of state, they elect ministers who participate in EU and UN meetings. We just want the same right for our country and our people.

13. Italy is the country. Why do you mention your country (Veneto)?

13.1. For us, Italy is a State, a State that in this historical period applies its laws in the Venetian lands (see questions 3 and 4). For Italians, Italy is also their country.

13.2. For us, the Venetian lands are our land.

13.3. Our people (the Veneti or Venetian people) are recognized by Italian law. Recently, almost forty years late, it declared that by "Venetian people" they simply mean the "inhabitants of Veneto". But if this were the case, there would have been no need to recognize the status of "people" only to the Venetians and Sardinians (all Italian regions should have this status). Moreover, the right to self-determination of our people dates back well before Italy's (unilateral) declaration: the recognition of our people dates back to the moment in which the international community recognized that the annexation of the Venetian lands required... the consent of the populations interested. (see question 5).

Translated into Italian from the English FAQ page https://web.archive.org/web/20111001040319/http://www.iveneti.org/veneti/f-a-q-en/

Patrik Riondato, Retrieved October 01, 2011, original archived version in English.

Domande e Risposte: Una Repubblica Veneta ?

Nuova sessione di domande frequenti: le cosidette F.A.Q.

https://www.repubblicaveneta.net/blog/novita-dalla-repubblica-veneta-1/domande-e-risposte-una-repubblica-veneta-210