Slovenians Mark 80th Anniversary Of Partisan Resistance To Nazi Occupation

Mobilization on Resistance Day in Ljubljana, Slovenia. (Photo: Levica) Following the occupation of the erstwhile kingdom of Yugoslavia by Axis Powers during World War II, partisan groups in Slovene lands formed the Liberation Front of the Slovene People in April 1941 to resist the occupation

Progressive sections across Slovenia have observed Resistance Day marking the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Anti-Imperialist Front or the Liberation Front of the Slovene People, which fought against fascist and Nazi forces during World War II. Last Tuesday, anti-imperialist groups including the Slovenian Left, Levica, organized a rally to the parliament house in capital Ljubljana, demanding the resignation of the incumbent government led by Janez Janza which has mounted repeated attacks on cultural workers, NGOs, intellectuals and the media. Resistance Day is a national holiday in the country.

During World War II, present day Slovenia, then part of the erstwhile kingdom of Yugoslavia, was trifurcated between the occupying forces of fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and the kingdom of Hungary. Following the attack by the Axis forces on April 6, 1941, several Slovene groups formed the Liberation Front in Ljubljana on April 26 to resist the occupation. By 1943, under the leadership of the communists, the Slovene partisans – the military-wing of the Liberation Front – emerged as a significant force of resistance against the Italian and German-backed Slovene Home Guards. By 1944, the Slovene partisans had joined with the major formations of the Yugoslav partisans led by Josip Broz Tito. The Yugoslav partisans defeated the Axis forces across the kingdom of Yugoslavia, deposed the king, and declared the formation of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia on November 29, 1945. It comprised six socialist federative republics including Slovenia.

Pointing to the significance of Resistance Day, Levica said, “The day of rebellion against the occupier or the Day of Liberation Front is not just a memorial holiday. It is also a reminder that fascism is not a historic episode, but a constant companion of capitalism and its crises.”

“Our ancestors showed the power of the crowds 80 years ago after they took their destiny into their own hands. Their fight was not only a fight to expel the occupation army or to restore the old state, but it was at the same time a fight for a better and fairer world. It’s only right to honor them by getting together again for the same purpose 80 years later today. Let the values of the Liberation Front start the fire again!” Levica added.

Anti-imperialist forces in Slovenia, under the leadership of Levica, have been fighting the incumbent right-wing Slovenian government’s bid for massive military expenditure intended to aid NATO’s fortifications in the region.