Yesterday, Saturday, October 1, 2022, the South Tyrolean Riflemen’s Association and the South Tyrolean Homeland Association set an example in Bolzano for the homeland and against fascism. The occasion was 100 years of the “March on Bozen”, during which fascist militias from northern Italy seized power in Bozen, occupied the Empress Elisabeth School and the town hall and the mayor, Dr. Deposed Julius Perathoner.
Around 2,000 shooters, sutlers and guests from near and far responded to the call for the commemoration event. Among the participants were the Deputy Mayor of Bolzano Luis Walcher, the members of the state parliament Myriam Atz Tammerle, Sven Knoll and Andreas Leiter-Reber.
After the arrival of the participants at Landhausplatz, the procession marched to the former Empress Elisabeth School, where a commemorative plaque was installed to commemorate the violent occupation and renaming of the school. State Commander Maj. Roland Seppi made a brief statement. The forcible renaming of the school has still not been reversed. There is no commemoration in Bolzano of the tragic events 100 years ago, when German students were suddenly denied access to school. A sign of the ban on the German school in the following year.
Photo: © Südtiroler Schützenbund
After the march through the Bolzano arcades, the main event took place on the town hall square, reports the South Tyrolean Rifle Association. The welcome was given by the chairman of the South Tyrolean Heimatbund, Roland Lang, followed by the words of welcome by the head of the house, Deputy Mayor Luis Walcher. The cultural advisor, Mjr. Martin Robatscher, moderated the event. The event was accompanied by multimedia images and time reports, which accompanied the keynote speeches.
Photo: © Südtiroler Schützenbund
“Nice to fly”
The start was made by the keynote speech by the historian Margareth Lun, who looked at the historical events and precisely illuminated the tragic events of October 1st and 2nd, 1922. The march on Bolzano was staged and should be seen as a coup d’état because the state authorities played along. In his keynote speech, the deputy state commander, Christoph Schmid, referred to the present and warned politicians in Bozen and Rome to learn from the historical events and to draw national political conclusions. Federal Managing Director Egon Zemmer dared to look to the future and expected consistent steps for a South Tyrol without Italy and for a strengthening of the Tyrolean identity and minority rights. A consistent ethnic political policy is necessary and Franz Gschnitzer’s “Nicely let go” of 1959 is the program.
In his main speech, the lawyer Nicola Canestrini, who comes from Rofreit, warned against fascist and neo-fascist activities and encouraged the fight for minority and fundamental rights. These include the use of one’s mother tongue, respect for civil rights vis-à-vis the executive, and autonomous responsibilities. Even in times like these, it is necessary to stand up for one’s rights consistently and on the basis of the law, otherwise the rights granted are a transitory matter.
The Manifesto
The Manifesto of the South Tyrolean Riflemen’s Association, which was read out by the sutler Nadin Rabensteiner, marked the positions of the South Tyrolean Riflemen’s Association in relation to the 100-year march on Bozen. End of nationalistic symbolism and historical falsifications in South Tyrol, end of one-sided restricted debates with reference to the so-called “ignition” and the “ethnic peace”, independence for South Tyrol in view of the historical events and convening of a truth commission to determine the historical injustice, will be Manifesto required.
Photo: © Südtiroler Schützenbund
In the closing speech, Regional Commander Roland Seppi demanded that historical justice be restored in South Tyrol and underpinned the position of the Schützenbund: “We will work every day to ensure that historical injustice in South Tyrol is eliminated. We will work vigorously and firmly to ensure that the weakening of our identity is reversed. We consider it a duty and an honor to work to ensure that our descendants are left with a home in Tyrol that is worth living in”.
The South Tyrolean Shooting Federation can look back on a successful event that lives up to its responsibility towards its own history and the task of drawing the right lessons from this history. The participants were enthusiastic about the very worthy event.
