Last modified: 2010-02-12 by dov gutterman
Keywords: sardinia | sardegna | mal di ventre | malu entu |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
On Page 32 of today's edition (21 March) of The Times
newspaper there is a photograph of a large number of Sardinian
separatists who had invaded the grounds of Italian President
Sergio Berlusconi's villa on the island. They are shown carrying
several different flags, some of which I recognize and some I
don't. Apparently they were rootling about the villa grounds for
some time before the security people noticed them.
Ron Lahav, 21 March 2005
Photos are at <www.indipendentzia.net>
and <www.repubricadesardigna.net>.
The Sardinian iRS (indipendèntzia Repùbrica de Sardigna =
Independence Republic of Sardegna) seems to be a rather new
independist party (founded end of 2003), that widely uses their
flags, namely a variant of the Sardinian flag (with inscription
"INDIPENDENTZIA").
Marcus Schmöger, 21 March 2005
A large and detailed image is at <www.sucuncordu.net>.
Jan Mertens, 21 March 2005
Flag of "Partidu Indipendentista Sardu"
image by Ivan Sache, 19 October 2008
Flag of "Republic of Malu Entu"
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 11 April 2009
The island of Mal di Ventre (lit., "Stomach Ache";
area, 80 ha, maximum elevation, 18 m asl) is located off the town
of Cabras, on the western coast of Sardinia. See the "Sardinia
Tourism" website for a complete description of the
island, protected today by the Protected Marine Area Authority.
On 22 September 2008, Nick Squire reported in "The
Telegraph" about the proclamation on the island of the
"Autonomous Republic of Mal Entu" and a flag battle
that subsequently opposed the autonomists and Italian activists,
as follows:
"The curiously named Mal di Ventre, which means 'Stomach
Ache' in Italian, was declared independent last month by a
secessionist movement led by veteran activist Salvatore Meloni,
who proclaimed himself president.
He set up an official presidential "residence" – a
blue plastic tent pitched on a pristine beach with the address No
1, Seafront – and named his fiefdom the Autonomous Republic
of Mal Entu – the Sardinian dialect name for the island.
With much fanfare "President" Meloni and his supporters
hoisted the Sardinian flag, which depicts the severed heads of
four Moors, over the 80-hectare island, part of a marine reserve.
As is the custom with such self-declared micro-nations, the
president sent letters to the United Nations and Italy's prime
minister, Silvio Berlusconi, announcing the island's
independence. [...]
Militants from a far-right political group which staunchly
opposes Sardinian independence mounted a raid on the island this
week, planting the red, white and green Italian tricolour in its
sandy soil. The island's separatists say they are determined not
to be provoked by their opponents. "We intend to ignore this
act," Mr Meloni, 65, who earns a living as a truck driver,
told La Repubblica. "In fact from today we'll draw new
strength to continue the battle."
The Italian flag would not be torn down. "It will become the
symbol of all those scoundrel countries which trample on the
basic rights of their people," said Mr Meloni. He said he
would surround the flag with a tangle of barbed wire to symbolise
the repression of secessionist movements around the world.
The battle of the banners is the latest saga in Sardinia's long
running campaign for greater autonomy from Rome. [...]"
In "La
Vanguardia", María-Paz López relates the same story
and gives more details on Salvatore Meloni.
Meloni is a long-time Sardinian independentist, who spent nine
years in jail in the 1980s for "conspiration against the
state"; he founded a few weeks beofre the proclamation of
"independence" a political party called PARIS, the
merging of small independentist parties. Meloni backs his claims
on the weird legal situation of the island. In 1972, its owner,
the English Lord Rex Miller decided to sold it, because wind and
enviromnemnt protection laws prevented him to develop a tourists
resort on the island. The price was one million euros but the
autonomous region of Sardinia never managed to make the purchase.
Accordingly, Meloni claims that the island has ben belonging to
the Sardinians since 1974 as a sacred area to be protected. He
considers that the occupation of Mal di Ventre is the first step
towards the independence of Sardina.
The political party PAR.I.S. (Partidu Indipendentista Sardu -
Sardinian Independentist Party) has a flag, which was proudly
hosted by Meloni and his fellows on the island, as shown on a photograph
taken during the event. The flag is horizontally divided red-blue
with the circular emblem of the party in the middle<
> (See also the grounds and fleet of the Republic on the next
photograph
(See also the grounds and fleet of the Republic on the next photograph
and see also the YouTube
interview of President "Doffore" Meloni on TV, with the
PARIS flag fluttering in the background (on the same rocks as
above).
The emblem of the party includes six elements of the Sardinian
heritage. The four statuettes must be "bronzettos"
characteristic of the Nuragic civilization. The mysterious
Nuragic people have built all over Sardinia, before 1,000 BC,
truncated conical towers called "nuraghe", used today
as the symbol of the Sardinian culture and heritage. See Wikipedia.
The name of the party is written in red capital letters in the
ring surrounding of the emblem : - PARTIDU - INDIPENDENTISTA -
SARDU. The acronym of the party is written in black capital
letters.
The emblem of the party is available on the Politica
Online forum.
Ivan Sache, 19 October 2008
The Independent Republic of Malu Entu (Repubrica Indipendenti
de Malu Entu, Repubblica Indipendente di Malu Entu) - It starts,
quite comically, as the Piedmontese colonizers mistranlated the
Sardu phrase 'Malu Entu' (which means 'Bad Winds') into Italian
'Mal di Ventre' (which stands for 'Sore Stomach' or 'Stomach
Pain') some 150 years ago.
Anyway, in 1978 a group of Sardinia's independence activists, led
by Salvatore 'Doddore' Meloni proclaimed the Independent Republic
of Malu Entu on Mal di Ventre Island (Isola di Mal di Ventre), a
mere 80 hectares of land sticking out of sea some 6 nautical
miles from the mainland of Sardinia and town of Cabras.
(The island is privately owned by an Englishman, but unoccupied
and void of any development. It is a heaven for scuba and deep
sea divers)
It was supposed to be the first step in regaining the
independence of all of Sardinia.
Meloni, and all the early citizens of the republic, got promptly
arrested and Meloni spent 9 years in jail for yearning to be a
free Sardinian.
Last year, the republic was reactivated, flag raised and
independence re-proclaimed. There was an attempt to raise money
to buy the island from the willing-to-sell English owner, but in
February 2009, the Italian military raided the island and thorn
down the flag of the republic.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 11 April 2009
In the picture,
there is "the president", he ask to Italian Gonernment
and UN to make this new State. They have a coin and the
presidential palace is a tent for camping on the beach!!!!
Mario Moschini, 11 Npvember 2009
image from <www.mediamundi.it>
I located a square version of the sardinian flag (St.George's
cross and four moor's heads).
Thanh-Tam Le, 13 October 1998
image by Chrystan Kretowicz, 25 September 2009
Not much to say about the organization itself, except that it
is a leftist one.
The flag is in Sardinian national colors and the symbol is
supposed to represent the Shardana - Sea People who
settled in Sardinia in very ancient times.
Sources: <sadefenza.blogspot.com>,
<knowledgerush.com>
and wikipedia.
Chrystan Kretowicz, 25 September 2009
The organization itself seems to be so quastionable since
beside the blog there
is no trace whatsoever of it. For instance, neither the Italian
nor the Sard Wikipedia are mentioning it. If the organization
(let alone the flag) exists outside its blog, is doubtful, I'd
suggest.
Marcus Schmöger, 15 October 2009
