Recently in the Western world we have seen secessionists advancing in Scotland, Catalonia, Flanders and Quebec. We can now add Venice to that list. The historic spirit of independence appears to be returning to Venetians, according to a recent Christian Science Monitor article by Nick Squires:
It may seem fanciful, but a burgeoning independence movement is confidently predicting that [Venice] will achieve nationhood before two of Europe’s other restive regions, Scotland and Catalonia.
…[A]ctivists want to carve out a new country in northeastern Italy which would comprise Venice, the surrounding region of Veneto and parts of Lombardy, Trentino, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which borders Slovenia and Austria.
The “Repubblica Veneta,” as it would be known, would encompass about 5 million people.
It would be based on the region’s historical differences from the rest of Italy, ranging from a distinct dialect to its close links with the Adriatic.
As with Catalonia, the economic crisis that has swept across Europe has fueled Venetians’ resentment against central government control.
Like Catalonia, the region of Veneto, which encompasses the lagoon city, is a wealthy part of the country that has long bridled against the amount of money it pays in taxes to the national government.
Those taxes have only become heavier, as Rome seeks to tackle its 1.9 trillion euro national debt.
…While surveys suggest strong support for independence, that has yet to translate into the sort of mass mobilization seen on the streets of Catalonia, where last month more than a million people took part in a rally demanding separation from the rest of Spain.
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I do find it odd (and historically incorrect) that the quoted article claims the Venetians wish to create a “new” country. The Republic of Venice predates pretty much every modern nation in its claim to independence, a right which was granted to it by the Roman Emperors themselves. The same goes for Scotland, which also has a long history of independence. With the Catalans, the question is merely whether the Kingdom of Aragon would be restored or not. “Catalonia” has never existed as a full-fledged country, and therefore would be a “new” country, but Aragon has an ancient and prestigious history. So even the idea of Catalan independence is not a “new” notion.
VS, good point. The language used in a lot of these articles is sloppy. Secessionist-related articles frequently refer to attempts to create a ‘new nation.’ They mean states, not nations. Nations are organic bodies of people. States are independent governments. But in the US media ‘country,’ ‘state,’ ‘nation,’ etc. are used in a very sloppy manner. I think much of this is due to the Enlightenment-based origins of the USA, which have been taken to a new level of absurdity in this era of universalism.
Thank you so much for posting this Michael. I’ve been a long-time supporter of Venetian nationalism and I’m glad to see the movement is gaining even more traction in Veneto than they have traditionally. I dislike how the article seems to imply that Venetism is new to the region though. Venetian nationalism as a modern movement dates back to before WWII and secessionist organisations have long been popular in Venice and Northern Italy as a whole.