Ljubljana - The WWII Veterans' Association marked Resistance Day with a call to "liberate the Slovenian nation once again" as it criticised the authorities for curtailing fundamental rights under the pretext of containing the epidemic.

"Let's fight against the curtailment of basic rights enshrined in the Constitution," the association's head Marijan Križman said at its online ceremony held on the eve of Resistance Day.

Resistance Day marks the establishment of the Liberation Front, an organisation which mounted armed resistance against the occupying forces in WWII and was founded in Ljubljana 80 years ago.

Convinced that basic human rights are being violated under the current government, Križman noted that 80 years on, the situation was again ripe for Slovenians to stand up for their rights.

"We do not allow putting young people on trial just because they want to go to school, sanctioning people who dare to voice opposition to government measures, demolishing public RTV Slovenija and STA, intimidating journalists, blocking art and culture."

He went on to list "disgraceful acts" such as vandalising of Liberation Front monuments, hate speech, acts that humiliate Slovenia in Europe and the world, and historical revisionism.

Križman urged Slovenians to celebrate Resistance Day as well as the coming May Day by remembering their ancestors who gave their lives for freedom.

Highlighting the role the Liberation Front played in WWII and the importance of its values today, the association called for respecting basic human rights and values of resistance, freedom, solidarity and equality.

It was because of the Liberation Front that Slovenia was part of the victorious anti-Nazi alliance at the end of the war, Križman stressed.

According to him, there was no civil war in Slovenia during WWII because this is not possible under occupying forces and because opponents of the Liberation Front fought under the direct command of the Fascist and Nazi armed forces.

Križman said that the responsibility for the war that pitted brother against brother had been with church and secular officials who had prioritised their own interests over the nation's survival.

The association therefore rejects current attempts at reconciliation as its members believe that what is presented today as reconciliation is mostly based on historical revisionism which attempts to turn traitors into victims.

The only way to reconcile people is to show historical facts about WWII, Križman noted.