Zerai Deres
Encyclopedia
Zerai Deres died in 1937 in Rome, Italy, in public opposition to the rise of fascist power in Italy and her African colonies. His death is considered part of the movement against Italian
occupation. Deres was born in Hazega
, Eritrea
- then a province of Ethiopia
, and is considered a folk hero
in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
was a member of the League of Nations
when Italy
invaded and occupied it from 1936 to 1941. It was a clear violation of the Covenant of the League of Nations
and an act of aggression for a member State to invade and occupy another member State. The Ethiopians resisted the invasion until the Italians started to use chemical warfare
agents like mustard gas. In June 1936, King Haile Selassie I appealed to the League of Nations
to take action against the invasion. But it was ignored.
On May 21, 1937, in Rome
, Italy
was celebrating its fourth anniversary of the proclamation of the Italian Empire. The celebratory parade was attended by Adolf Hitler
, Benito Mussolini
and King Victor Emmanuel III. Thousands of subjects from Italy’s African colonies marched during the parade. Among them was a young Eritrean man named Zerai Deres. He was carrying the sword to salute the King, the Führer
, and Il Duce, at the grandstand. As the parade marched past the Vittorio Emanuele monument, Zerai Deres looked up and saw the golden Lion of Judah
, the symbol of the ancient monarchy, to which his ancestors had long owed allegiance, erected as a war booty in the heart of Rome
. The shock was too great for him, and he drew his sword and with it he slew five fascist guards, as well as wounding others, before he himself was killed on the spot in a hail of gunshots.
The Lion of Judah monument that provoked his fury has been restored to Addis Ababa
, after long negotiations between Ethiopia and Italy in the 1960s.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
occupation. Deres was born in Hazega
Hazega
Hazega is a small village in Central Eritrea located in the former province of Hamasien. It is 13 miles north-west from the capital city, Asmara, and 35 miles south-east of Keren. It is an entirely Christian village inhabited by the Tigrinya speaking people of Eritrea...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
- then a province of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and is considered a folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Italian occupation
EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
was a member of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
when Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
invaded and occupied it from 1936 to 1941. It was a clear violation of the Covenant of the League of Nations
Covenant of the League of Nations
-Creation:Early drafts for a possible League of Nations began even before the end of the First World War. A London-based study group led by James Bryce and G. Lowes Dickinson made proposals adopted by the British League of Nations Society, founded in 1915. Another group in the United States—which...
and an act of aggression for a member State to invade and occupy another member State. The Ethiopians resisted the invasion until the Italians started to use chemical warfare
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
agents like mustard gas. In June 1936, King Haile Selassie I appealed to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
to take action against the invasion. But it was ignored.
On May 21, 1937, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
was celebrating its fourth anniversary of the proclamation of the Italian Empire. The celebratory parade was attended by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and King Victor Emmanuel III. Thousands of subjects from Italy’s African colonies marched during the parade. Among them was a young Eritrean man named Zerai Deres. He was carrying the sword to salute the King, the Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
, and Il Duce, at the grandstand. As the parade marched past the Vittorio Emanuele monument, Zerai Deres looked up and saw the golden Lion of Judah
Lion of Judah
The Lion of Judah was the symbol of the Israelite tribe of Judah in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible .-Lion of Judah and Judaism:...
, the symbol of the ancient monarchy, to which his ancestors had long owed allegiance, erected as a war booty in the heart of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The shock was too great for him, and he drew his sword and with it he slew five fascist guards, as well as wounding others, before he himself was killed on the spot in a hail of gunshots.
The Lion of Judah monument that provoked his fury has been restored to Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, after long negotiations between Ethiopia and Italy in the 1960s.