European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse In september German speaking residents held a rally at the Brenner pass to press their demand for the South Tirol s reunification with enclave flourishes in italian Alp by Victor l. Simpson the associated press Young it Imp ii in i inuit fill steins a foaming Beer and Hrat Wurst simmers tin grills is in on pah band entertains Llie i roved. It s Exir Chatag Lime i he annual i Hun h fair in the Alpine Village it it Valdora Italy and lie Gul Lural sounds of err Nan till lie air. Hul then lie switches to , Well Oming guests in More 70 liter Austria s South i Irol Region was handed Over to i ahas a promised prize Lor entering world War i with the Miles suet Essie govern merits in Koine first is then Demot a it live tailed to shake the i in it a sin it Lent it v. In . I Spei a Laws Prole i the Elxnit Mino Iii Here in the in aim e Olhol Ano. Generally known in italian As the Mlo adige. 1 he italian government atoning for a dark period under the Iasi is s and shaken in terrorist in miss in the i a Tut a has Een Given i he German speakers the upper hand. I he w Ini is a nationalism hit a my at it it is Eastern i trope half stirred resurgent demands Tor either Union with a Siru or Independent t1. I it lit mainline sin it Iroler i ilk Partei it he South i Irol in Leopie s i car i 1 has re it led sin h t alls pressing instead Tor the italian Goce intent to put into Al Lei t remaining air Reed upts t Orn t a Sioris. I he party gels 00 percent of the err Nan peaking Oie. As Elxnit tensions explode at Ross i Europe the peat Elul Tot Xis Lem to it Between the German speakers and lit italian speakers has then holding. I Here has been no violence Only minor vandalism the punt Turmol times of some tars driven by tourists and lit blotting out of italian names on Road signs. In mid september supporters of reunification rallied on tht1 Lallian austrian Border at Brenner pass the Gateway to Northern Europe. Only a few thousand demonstrators showed up under Rainy skies leading the German language daily Dol Omilen to comment that Quot the major Success was that the rally went off without similarly there was More show Ilian substance in a rally in the provincial capital the play before by the Neo fascist italian social movement parly whose followers have opposed concessions granted , it frequently draws a Large italian protest vote in local elections. Llie protest consisted mainly of waving Italy strip Olor i lag at the site1 of a a it it old War i Vieh sri Monument. Ilan Jorg Kucera a German language journalist Sas Quot most people deep Down w Ould like to be part of Austria. Hut they Don t really believe it will i his May help explain Rei ent polls in the italian press that have shown most Zierman speakers who number More than 2ff ,0t 0 it of pred w Ith the 1 20.000 italian speakers Tavor remaining in Italy. Thev live and Prosper m one of i Europe s leading summer and Winter tourist areas with the lights and i in Leges of the Ditler enl ethnic groups Piotti Ted under an italian treaty with Austria it is Ollie lulls bilingual. All signs and town names Are in two languages in italian Lang in i Ernan for example m Al newspapers in Zierman and italian Are on Sale and the italian stale radio and in network Rai broadcasts in the two languages. Hut the agreement goes further putting into Force w hat the italians Call poor Oia a Etna a in effect a ii not a so Stem. It divvied up Public housing and jobs Troni Railroad workers to Hospital doctors on the basis of population err Nan speakers on the basis i a numbers High old the Edge. A third group numbering i ,001speak a Romance language know n As i Udin. I he i Adins who mainly live in the Lush Alpine centers Are also guaranteed their Seal on the pro vim government Council. Quot we would be crazy to want to change Quot says Patrizia Erlacher who Speaks the three languages. Her family is in the hotel business one of the major moneymakers for the Cerman speakers and Ladin. Erlacher and others stressed that the province has benefited from the blend of two cultures and the Laws that ensure tyrolean traditions can flourish. Realistically says restaurant owner Loris Morlang Quot traditions bring a the italian speakers have Long held Down Railroad and other Public jobs but they Are now feeling the squeeze under . Which went into Force after a 1 9h1 census. Benito Mussolini who ruled As dictator from 1922 until world War ii tried to suppress tyrolean culture and a editions going i Lar As to remove German names from gravestones. I be also sought to italianize1 Llie area by luring tens of thousands Iron elsewhere in Italy with promises of jobs m new industries. The italian population Gist 1 percent in 1910, had swelled to 24 percent by 1961, according to provincial government statistic s. Hut it has since been in decline As the i mitral government has made1 More and More concessions to the Gernan speakers. Only a Lew relatively minor issues Are still to he settled. The most controversial involves formal agreement on the names of towns with some1 local German speaking politicians demanding that italian names dating to years be abolished. Once the entire package of concessions is in Force Austria is to give its stamp of approval. The italian government will then consider the Issue closed. Quot my conviction As president of the Republic is that the slate must maintain its word Given to the German language Community of the Alto adige Quot italian president Francesco Corsiga said during a visit to the area in Early september. Quot and maintaining its word Means Corr plating the 24 stripes Magazine december 27, it a
