Riportiamo il testo dell’appello promosso da transform!italia e da transform!europe per il rispetto della memoria e della storia, corredandolo delle firme più significative a livello europeo.

La raccolta delle firme è ancora in corso e chiunque può aderire da questo link

The European Parliament joint motion for a resolution – approved by a large majority on 19 September – on ‘the importance of European remembrance for the future of Europe’, is a wrongheaded political and cultural act and should be vigorously rejected.

In the first place, it has to be said that it is not the province of an institutional or political organism to assert a specific reconstruction of history by majority decision. A use of history that wishes to impose a revisionist vision of the principal events of the last century to turn them into weapons in the current political battles should have no place in a true democracy.

In the second place, the statements about the history of the twentieth century in the resolution contain unacceptable errors and unilateral distortions and visions. It asserts that the pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, the 23 August 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, ‘paved the way to the outbreak of the Second World War’. This omits any reference to the enabling behaviour of the liberal democracies in the face of Nazi expansionism, which dates at least from the invasion of Ethiopia (1935) and the Spanish Civil War triggered in support of General Franco’s extreme right coup (1936) and continued with the Anschluss of Austria to Germany on 12 March 1938, the appeasement at Munich (1938) and the consequent dismembering of Czechoslovakia not only by Germany but also by Poland and Hungary.

Moreover, the resolution does not mention the enormous contribution to the victory over Nazism, decisive for the very fate of Europe and of humanity, made both by the Soviet Union (with more than 20 million dead) and by those who, everywhere in Europe and the world, often guided by the ideals and symbols of the various currents of the international communist movement, fought Hitler’s troops and those allied to him. It ‘forgets’ Altiero Spinelli, Italian Communist and political prisoner between 1927 and 1943 and co-author of the Manifesto of Ventotene who is widely known as one of the founding fathers of the European integration and therefore rightly became name giver to one of the buildings of the European Parliament.

It manages to mention Auschwitz without saying that it was the Soviet army that liberated it and the prisoners destined for extermination. Or it deliberately forgets that in many countries (among them France and Italy but not only) the communists were the principal component of the Resistance to Nazism/fascism, making a major contribution to its defeat and the rebirth in those countries of a constitutional democracy that reaffirmed political, trade-union, cultural, and religious freedoms. Not to mention the decisive support that communist states and communist ideals gave to the liberation of entire peoples from colonial oppression and sometimes slavery.

Remembering these facts, which the resolution culpably omits, does not mean ignoring and being silent about the disgraceful aspects of what is generally called ‘Stalinism’, about the errors and horrors that also occurred in that camp. But these cannot erase a fundamental distinction: While Nazism/fascism, in giving birth to a ruthless dictatorship and in cancelling every space of democracy, liberty, and even humanity, in persecuting, including through proclaimed and planned extermination, religious, ethnic, cultural, and sexual minorities, was merely attempting to put into practice its openly proclaimed programmes, the communist regimes before and after the war, when they defiled themselves through grave and unacceptable violations of democracy and liberty, were by contrast betraying their own ideals and values and promises they had made. All of which needs to generate questions, reflections, and investigations but – taken together with the contribution made by activists and by the USSR to the defeat of Nazism – in no way permits the equating of Nazism and communism at the heart of this resolution of the European Parliament nor the identification, as occurs several times in the motion, of communism and Stalinism in view of the great variety of currents of thought and political experience to which the former gave birth.

These falsifications and omissions cannot be made the basis of a ‘shared memory’, still less become the basis of a common history syllabus in schools, as the motion recommends. It cannot become the platform for a ‘European day of remembrance for the victims of totalitarian regimes’ asked for by the motion. Nor can it provide the motivation for removing ‘commemorative monuments and places (parks, squares, streets, etc.), which, with the excuse of a struggle against an indistinct totalitarianism, is in reality an invitation to erase the clear and transparent pages of the history of those who contributed, through their own sacrifice, to defeating Nazism and fascism.

We note that the European Parliament’s motion necessarily contains unavoidable gestures at balancing its main thrust by affirming the wish to struggle against the ‘reversion to fascism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance’. But these justified calls to struggle against racism and fascism cannot be based on a distorted and even false use of history or on the declared intention to sever the roots of a fundamental component of anti-fascism, that is, the communist component. The peoples of Europe must not permit this.

Last name	Name	Institution	Country
Baier	Walter	political coordinator transform! europe	AT
Edlinger	Fritz		AT
Garscha	Winfried	Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW)
Mugrauer	Manfred	Alfred Klahr Society	AT
Artinian	Arto	member of the Institute for Critical Theories of Supermodernity; Borough of Manhattan Community College – City University of New York	BG / USA
Deyanov	Deyan	Institute for Critical Theories of Supermodernity, Sofia	BG
Deyanova	Liliana	Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski	BG
Tsoneva	Jana	Centre for Collective Intervention, Sofia	BG
Arsenijević	Damir	University of Tuzla	BiH
Grigorov	Emil	Laval Universtiy Quebec	CA
Birač	Dimitrije		CRO
Čakardić	Ankica	University of Zagreb	CRO
Đurašković	Stevo	University of Zagreb	CRO
Horvatinčić	Sanja	University of Zagreb	CRO
Hromadžić	Hajrudin	University of Rijeka	CRO
Jović	Dejan	University of Zagreb, former Croatian president advisor	CRO
Kapović	Mate	University of Zagreb	CRO
Klasić	Hrvoje	University of Zagreb	CRO
Mikulić	Borislav	University of Zagreb	CRO
Peović	Katarina	University of Rijeka	CRO
Hudeček	Jiří	Charles University of Prague	CZ
Keller	Jan	former MEP SD; University of Ostrava	CZ
Švihlíková	Ilona		CZ
Bidet	Jacques	historian; University of Paris-Nanterre	FR
De Cock	Laurence	historian	FR
Larrère	Mathilde	historian; University of Parix XIII	FR
Laurent	Pierre	senior secretary-general of the French Communist Party (PCF)	FR
Le Hyaric	Patrick	chairman of the board and director of L’Humanité	FR
Martelli	Roger	historian and director of Regards	FR
Sève	Lucien	philosopher	FR
Wurtz	Francis	senior chairman of the group of the European United Left – Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)	FR
Buden	Boris	Bauhaus University, Weimar	GER
Dahn	Daniela		Ger
Demirović	Alex	University of Frankfurt	GER
Deppe	Frank	University of Marburg	GER
Dörre	Klaus	University of Jena	GER
Ernst	Cornelia	MEP, Party of the European Left	GER
Gysi	Gregor	President of the Party of the European Left	GER
Kessler	Mario	University of Potsdam	GER
Rilling	Rainer	University of Marburg	GER
Wolf	Frieder Otto	Free University of Berlin	GER
Athanasiou	Athina	Panteion University of Athens	GR
Benveniste	Rika	University of Thessaly	GR
Douzinas	Costas	Birkbeck University	GR / UK
Golemis	Haris		GR
Karpozilos	Kostis	director Contemporary Social History Archives (ASKI)	GR
Spourdalakis	Michalis	dean School of Economics & Politics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens	GR
Vaiou	Dina	National Technical University of Athens	GR
Krausz	Tamás	Eötvös Loránd University Budapest	HU
Artner	Annamaria	Academy of Sciences	HU
Tamás	Gáspár Miklós	Central European University Budapest/Vienna	HU / AT
Acerbo	Maurizio	secretary Partito della Rifondazione Comunista	IT
Abramo	Cinzia	University of Perugia	IT
Attardi	Giuseppe	University of Pisa	IT
Attardo	Elda	University of Milano	IT
Bertinotti	Fausto	former president of the Italian parliament	IT
Boscaino	Marina		IT
Carella	Donata Maria	University of Rome	IT
Castellina	Luciana	journalist and former MP	IT
Ciofi	Paolo	honoary president of Futura Umanitá. Associazione per la Storia e la Memoria of the Italian Communist Party (PCI)	IT
Collotti	Enzo	historian	IT
Conti	Davide	historian	IT
Cutrufelli	Rosa Maria	author	IT
Di Luzio	Flavia	University of Bologna	IT
Di Quarto	Francesco	University of Palermo	IT
Falà	Leila	University of Bologna	IT
Favilli	Paolo		IT
Ferrara	Gianni	former MP	IT
Ferrero	Paolo	vice president of Sinistra Europea	IT
Forenza	Eleonora	former MEP	IT
Fratoianni	Nicola	Sinistra Italiana	IT
Gagliasso	Elena	University of Rome	IT
Gianni	Alfonso	former MP	IT
Lavenia	Vincenzo	University of Bologna	IT
Levi	Giovanni	University of Venezia	IT
Licausi	Luciano	University of Siena	IT
Liguori	Guido	University of Calabria, president of the International Gramsci Society	IT
Mariani	Giorgio	University of Rome	IT
Maselli	Citto	film director	IT
Melandri	Lea		IT
Menapace	Lidia	former Senator and member of the Italian resistance	IT
Mencarelli	Fabio	University of Pisa	IT
Micheli	Maria Rita	University of Perugia	IT
Mincer	Aleksander (Olek)	University of Genova	IT
Modonesi	Massimo	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico	IT
Mordenti	Raul	University of Rome	IT
Morea	Roberto	board member of transform! europe	IT
Musacchio	Roberto	former GUE/NGL MEP	IT
Napoletano	Pasqualina	former GUE/NGL MEP	IT
Natoli	Claudio	University of Cagliari	IT
Okić	Tijana	University of Pisa	IT
Petrella	Riccardo	economist and political scientist	IT
Pomeranzi	Bianca		IT
Previtali	Franco	University of Milano	IT
Punzo	Luigi	University of Cassino	IT
Quercioli Mincer	Laura	University of Genova	IT
Rinaldi	Rosa	national secretary Partito della Rifondazione Comunista	IT
Riolo	Claudio	University of Palermo	IT
Rodano	Giulia	former regional councilor	IT
Romitelli	Valerio	University of Bologna	IT
Ruggieri	Franca	University of Rome III	IT
Rui	Marina	University of Geneve	IT
Sampaolo	Giovanni	University of Rome	IT
Soliani	Riccardo	University of Geneve	IT
Spagnolo	Luigi	University of Siena	IT
Spinnler	Hans	University of Milano	IT
Suvin	Darko	McGill University	IT
Tortorella	Aldo	honorary president Associazione per il Rinnovamento della Sinistra	IT
Violante	Francesco	University of Foggia	IT
Vitiello	Ondina	University of Padova	IT
Voza	Pasquale	University Aldo Moro, Bari	IT
Zunino	Franco	Associazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana (Arci), Associazione Nazionale di Amicizia Italia-Cuba	IT
Kolozova	Katerina	Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities, Skopje	NMK
Cardina	Miguel		PT
de Sousa Santos	Boaventura	University of Coimbra	PT
Flunser Pimentel	Irene		PT
Loff	Manuel	Institute of Contemporary History, University NOVA Lisbon	PT
Breznik	Maja	University of Ljubljana and Peace Institute	SLO
Kirn	Gal	University of Dresden	SLO/GER
Kržan	Marko	Institute for Workers’ Studies	SLO
Mesec	Luka	party coordinator Levica	SLO
Močnik	Rastko	University of Ljubljana	SLO
Piškur	Bojana	Modern Galery, Ljubljana	SLO
Tomić	Violeta	party coordinator Levica	SLO
Vrečko	Asta	University of Ljubljana	SLO
Alonso Montero	Xesús	former president of the Royal Galician Academy, University of Santiago	ESP
Andrade Blanco	Juan	Universidad de Extremadura (Extremadura University)	ESP
Aragón	Mariano	Associació Catalana D’Investigacions Marxistes	ESP
Barrio Alonso	Ángeles	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Cantabria	ESP
Bueno Lluch	Manuel	Trabajador Del Archivo Histórico De Ccoo De Andalucía, Excoordinador Sección De Historia Fim	ESP
Duarte Montserrat	Ángel	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Córdoba	ESP
Erice Sebares	Francisco	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Oviedo	ESP
Ferrer González	Cristian	Profesor of Contemporary History, Autonomous University of Barcelona	ESP
Gallego Margaleff	Ferran	Professor of Contemporary History, Autonomous University of Barcelona	ESP
Gálvez Biesca	Sergio	Archivero, Doctor En Historia, Madrid	ESP
Ginard I Feron	David	Profesor Titular De Historia Contemporánea, Universitat de les Illes Baleares	ESP
Gómez Alén	José	Catedrático Jubilado De Historia De Enseñanza Media	ESP
Hernández Sánchez	Fernando	Profesor De Historia Contemporánea, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid	ESP
Hernández Sandoica	Elena	Professor of Contemporary History, Complutense University of Madrid	ESP
Hinojosa Durán	José	Profesor De Historia De Enseñanza Media, Doctor En Historia, Extremadura	ESP
López López	Pedro	Profesor De Historia Contemporánea, Complutense University of Madrid	ESP
Mainer Baqué	Juan	Catedrático Jubilado, Coordinador De La Federación Icaria	ESP
Molinero	Carme	Professor of Contemporary History, Autonomous University of Barcelona	ESP
Núñez Díaz-Balart	Mirta	Professor of History of Social Communication, Complutense University of Madrid	ESP
Puig Valverdú	Guillem	Profesor De Historia Contemporánea, Universitat Rovira i Virgili	ESP
Martín Ramos	Josep Lluís	Professor of Contemporary History, Autonomous University of Barcelona	ESP
Robledo Hernández	Ricardo	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Salamanca/ Pompeu Fabra University	ESP
Santidrián Arias	Víctor	Profesor De Historia De Enseñanza Media, Doctor En Historia, Galicia	ESP
Sanz Hoya	Julián	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Valencia	ESP
Saz	Ismael	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Valencia	ESP
Suárez Cortina	Manuel	Professor of Contemporary History, University of Cantabria	ESP
Vadillo Muñoz	Julián	Profesor De Historia Contemporánea, Universidad Carlos III	ESP
Vega Sombría	Santiago	Profesor De Historia Contemporánea, Complutense Universidad of Madrid	ESP
Viñas Martín	Ángel	Catedrático Jubilado De Economía Aplicada Y De Historia Contemporánea, Complutense Universidad de Madrid	ESP
Ysàs Solanes	Pere	Professor of Contemporary History, Autonomous University of Barcelona	ESP
Bakić	Jovo	University of Belgrade	SRB
Balunović	Filip	faculty for Media and Communication, University of Belgrade	SRB
Kuljić	Todor		SRB
Manojlović Pintar	Olga	historian at the Institute for Recent History of Serbia, president of the Reconstruction Women’s Fund Managing Board	SRB
Matković	Aleksandar	Regional Science Center, Novi Sad and University of Belgrade	SRB
Pantić	Rade	faculty of Media and Communication, Singidunum University, Belgrade	SRB
Samardžić	Miroslav	Zrenjanin Social Forum	SRB
Štiks	Igor	faculty for Media and Communication, Belgrad	SRB
Fraser	Nancy	New School NYC	USA
Miguel Ángel	del Arco Blanco	Profesor Titular de Historia Contemporánea, Universidad de Granada	ESP
Matilde Eiroa	San Francisco	Profesor Titular de Historia Contemporánea, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid	ESP
Francisco	Sánchez Pérez	Profesor Titular de Historia Contemporánea, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid	ESP