GlobalPublic Protest Against the Graziani Mausoleum

Global Public Protest Against the Graziani Mausoleum and Fascist Italy’s War Crimes in Ethiopia

Ethiopian patriots hanged by Fascists

International public protests, peaceful demonstrations and meetings are scheduled to take place in major cities

throughout the world on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 against the dedication of a mausoleum and park in honor of Rodolfo Graziani, the remembrance of the 3-day Fascist massacre of 30,000 Ethiopians in Addis Ababa in February 1937, as well as all of the Italian Fascist war crimes in Ethiopia, with the support of the Vatican, during 1935-1941.

Fascist war crimes in Ethiopia

The Italian Fascist war crimes that were perpetrated in Ethiopia resulted in the following huge losses:

• The massacre of one million Ethiopians  using internationally forbidden weapons, including poison gas;
  

  Italian Fascists posing after beheading an Ethiopian patriot
• The destruction of 2,000 churches and 525,000 homes;
• The killing of 14 million domestic animals and degradation of the environment.

In a travesty of justice, Italy paid a mere derisory amount of 6 million sterling pounds in 1947 as war reparations to

Ethiopia.

As if to add insult to injury, the Italian Government has recently established a mausoleum in honor of the war criminal, Rodolfo Graziani, at Affile, south of Rome

Rodolfo Graziani’s mausoleum being inaugurated in the presence of a Vatican Representative

Vatican Support for the Fascist Invasion of Ethiopia

The Vatican, under the leaderships of both Popes Pius XI and Pius XII, was fully complicit with Fascist war crime in

Rodolfo Graziani’s mausoleum being inaugurated in the presence of a Vatican Representative

Ethiopia.

• In its issue of February 13, 1937, The New York Timereported:  “Earlier today the Pontiff (Pope Pius XI) had given his recognition of Italian sovereignty over Ethiopia by bestowing his apostolic benediction upon Victor Emmanuel as “King of Italy and Emperor of Ethiopia.”

• The Manchester Guardianon February 12, 1929 wrote: “Pope Pius XI is credited with much admiration forMussolini. That the Italian clergy as a whole are pro-Fascist is easy to understand, seeing that Fascism is a nationalist, authoritarian, anti-liberal, and anti-Socialist force.”

• According to Avro Manhattan, Pope Pius XI expressed his elation at the advent of the Fascist army in Addis Ababa by declaring: “The triumphant joy of an entire, great and good people over a place which, it is hoped and intended, will be an effective contribution and prelude to the true place in Europe and the World.”

• The Bishop of Torano had blessed the Fascist invasion of Ethiopia by pronouncing: “The war against Ethiopia should be considered as a holy war, a crusade” (as Italian victory) would “open Ethiopia, a country of infidels and schismatics, to the expansion of the Catholic Faith.”

A Vatican clergy blessing the Fascist army

Justice for the People of Ethiopia!

It is high time that justice be rendered to the people of Ethiopia. In particular:

1. The Italian Government should immediately dismantle the Graziani monument and officially recognize that the
   

   A Vatican clergy blessing the Fascist army
   reparations paid are disproportionate to the crimes it committed against the people of Ethiopia.
2. The United Nations should issue a formal statement recognizing the Fascist war crimes committed by Italy in Ethiopia.
3. The Vatican should express an apology to the Ethiopian people for its complicity with Fascist aggression and crimes.
4. The Italian and Vatican governments should immediately return the historical artifacts looted from Ethiopia during the illegal invasion.

For further information please contact:

Global Alliance for Justice – The     Ethiopian Cause

4002 Blacksmith Drive

Garland, TX 75044, USA