Slovenian Ambassador Geržina Speaks Out on Scandal Surrounding Police Raid at Peršmanhof
The police operation at Peršmanhof, a memorial site for the resistance in Carinthia, has caused diplomatic tensions. In particular, the Slovenian ambassador to Austria, Aleksander Geržina, has sharply criticized the authorities' actions and called for a swift investigation.
The Peršman Memorial in Carinthia by Marijan Matijević is one of the few monuments built in the style of socialist realism on Austrian soil due to its connection to Tito's partisans. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons; Hawaratschi, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en)
The outgoing Slovenian ambassador, Aleksander Geržina, has strongly condemned the police operation at Peršmanhof in several interviews, as reported by "DiePresse". He described the action as “out of line and lacking in proportion” and expressed his disbelief that such a thing could happen in today's European Union. Geržina emphasized that responsibility for the incident clearly lay with the police. He called for a swift and comprehensive investigation, as a commission report at the end of September would be “far too late.”
The ambassador stressed that the results of the investigation would have an “impact on relations” between the two countries. He expressed his deep regret that Deputy State Police Director Markus Plazer had only apologized to one descendant of the victims, but not to the museum's sponsoring association, the camp participants, or the Slovenian ethnic group. Geržina also criticized the fact that the young adults were denied the right to conduct the ceremony in Slovenian during the official proceedings.
Diplomatic tensions and political repercussions
In an interview with "DiePresse", Geržina even described the incident as “zero hour for Carinthia” and “worse than the place name sign storm,” an allusion to the historical tensions in Carinthia. He expressed disappointment with the position of the ÖVP, which he saw as a “very important European force” and ‘anchor’ for Slovenia. Geržina did not understand how the People's Party could take a position that “goes back a century or more.”
Slovenian ex-Prime Minister Lojze Peterle also said he was “speechless” about what had happened, as reported by “DiePresse.” He asked whether the problem was the event's dedication to anti-fascism or the fact that it involved Slovenians. Peterle spoke of a possible “return to the Cold War.”
Meanwhile, Carinthia's governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) tried to smooth things over by inviting people to a round table and emphasizing that a “full investigation” was necessary, as reported by "DerStandard". Deputy Governor Martin Gruber (ÖVP), however, rejected the ambassador's criticism and stressed that prejudging the police was unacceptable. He pointed out that the “Antifa scene” was known as a left-wing extremist movement and that the event had to be classified correctly.
Peršmanhof and anti-fascism
On April 25, 1945, shortly before the end of World War II, a massacre took place at Peršmanhof. Members of the 1st Battalion of SS Police Regiment 13 murdered eleven civilians belonging to the Sadovnik and Kogoj families. Among the victims were four adults and seven children. The farm, which was an important base for the anti-fascist resistance of the Carinthian Slovenes, was subsequently burned down. The partisans in Carinthia, who organized the resistance against the Nazis, were closely linked to the Yugoslav partisans. The Carinthian Slovenes fought under the command of Josip Broz Tito and his People's Liberation Army. They organized themselves into battalions that operated in the mountains of southern Carinthia. Their resistance helped weaken the Nazi regime and advance the liberation of Austria.
Today, the Peršmanhof is a memorial site commemorating the crimes of National Socialism and the resistance of the Carinthian Slovenes. It houses a small museum documenting the history of the resistance against the Nazi regime.
Background to the operation and further developments
The police operation on July 27, 2025, was directed against an “anti-fascist summer camp” on the grounds of the Peršmanhof, a memorial to the resistance of Carinthian Slovenes against the Nazi regime. The operation was triggered by anonymous reports of administrative offenses. When participants refused to identify themselves, the police action escalated.
In response to widespread criticism, the Ministry of the Interior has set up a commission, as reported by Vol.at, which is to provide clarity by the end of September. It consists of representatives of Slovenian-Carinthian associations, academia, and the judiciary. The Klagenfurt public prosecutor's office has not yet launched an investigation into the case, although Klagenfurt lawyer Rudolf Vouk has prepared a complaint for abuse of office.