This monument, that of the KHD five years ago 100. anniversary of the referendum, has already been smeared several times by left-wing radical chaots. Nevertheless, they gather every year on the evening of 10. In October a number of local dignitaries with close ties to their homeland attended the memorial together with the Steinacher family, um mit geistlichem Segen des großen Kärntners zu gedenken.

KHD chairman Andreas Mölzer pointed this out in his speech this year in addition to honoring Steinacher, that the home service serves as the country's patriotic conscience, especially in the year of remembrance 2025 was required again, To counteract the distortions of Carinthia's recent history. The attempts come from radical circles around the Slovenian students and the University of Klagenfurt, to trivialize the post-war crimes of the Tito partisans and to stigmatize the memory of these victims, sei entschieden zurückzuweisen.

And Christoph Steinacher, the grandson of the KHD founder explained, that the referendum of 1920 uns allen Mahnung sein müsse – speziell in einer Zeit weltweiter Krisen – weiter für den Frieden im Lande zu arbeiten.

The on 3. October of the Carinthian Heimatdienst unveiled the anniversary monument "Common Homeland Carinthia", that should include both population groups equally, to finally overcome old distrust and mutual aversions, was made in the morning hours of Christmas Eve(!) again smeared. With black paint and the Slovenian word "Sramota" sprayed in red (shame).

The attack, apparently by a small group of Slovenian nationalist extremists, is aimed at this, das friedliche Zusammenleben beider Bevölkerungsgruppen in Kärnten zu torpedieren.

That although in the anniversary year that has now ended, also repeated by the Carinthian Homeland Service of the many Slovenes loyal to Carinthia, who voted for Austria, had been thanked, without judging them, die damals für Jugoslawien stimmten.

Der Kärntner Heimatdienst wird sich auch durch Gewaltaktionen slowenischer Extremisten nicht vom auch künftigen Weg der Verständigung und Versöhnung abhalten lassen ohne dabei seine traditionsbewusste Aufgabenstellung aufzugeben.

Let me make it clear once more:

If we show respect for one another without intent to revise the boundaries, on the one hand for the memory in Slovenia of the fighters around the northern border, dann erwarten wir andererseits auch denselben Respekt für unser pro-österreichisches Abstimmungsgedenken in Kärnten.

And this commemoration of ours also indispensably closes the undisputed motor in the intellectual struggle for Austria, Hans Steinacher a, without concealing its ambivalent relationship to National Socialism, like in our documentation presented by the deputy chairman Andreas Mölzer at the unveiling of the monument “Hans Steinacher in light and shadow. A Carinthian of his time " offengelegt wird.

Chairman Josef Feldner

In the picture: Josef Feldner(Image rights: Fritzpress)

As the Carinthian Homeland Service declared in the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the Carinthian referendum, he wanted to erect a memorial to Hans Steinacher for his services in the defensive battle and in preparation for the plebiscite, there was severe criticism. The idea born by Marjan Sturm as part of the Carinthian consensus group, therefore to organize a scientific symposium on the life and work of Steinacher, musste Corona-bedingt fallen gelassen werden.

Instead, this anthology is now available with extremely controversial contributions by prominent historians and journalists about the equally admired and controversial Carinthian, sowie über den Kärntner Volksgruppenkonflikt und dessen dogmengeschichtliches Umfeld vor.

With contributions from: Ulfried Burz, Alfred Elste, Claudia Fräss-Ehrfeld, Lothar Höbelt, Stefan Karner, Andreas Mölzer, Heinz-Dieter Pohl, Florian Rulitz, Marjan storm, Hellwig Valentin and Thomas Zeloth

Also the “Small newspaper” and the “Kronen newspaper” reported on this presentation:

Image rights: Fritzpress