1970 expulsion of Italians from Libya

Expulsion of Italians from Libya 1970 expulsion of Italians from Libya File:Italy_Libya_Locator.png 21 July – 7 October 1970 Libya To "regain wealth stolen from the Libyan people by Italian oppressors" Libya 1969 Libyan Arab Republic Revolutionary Command Council Muammar Gaddafi 20,000 Italians expelled from Libya The expulsion of Italians from Libya took place following 21 July 1970, when the Libyan Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) issued a special law to "regain wealth stolen from the Libyan people by Italian oppressors", as stated by Muammar Gaddafi in a speech a few days later. With this law, Italians who had long lived in Libya were required to leave the country by October 1970. Background On 1 September 1969, while King Idris of Libya was in Turkey for medical treatment, he was deposed in a coup d'état by a group of Libyan army officers under the leadership of Captain (later Colonel) Muammar Gaddafi. The Kingdom of Libya was abolished and the Libyan Arab Republic proclaimed. The coup pre-empted Idris's abdication and the succession of his heir, Crown Prince Hasan as-Senussi, the following day. Over the next few months, Libyan policy towards foreigners changed drastically. The revolutionary council approved a new constitution, which described Libya as Arab, free, and democratic. In the name of Arab nationalism the new government nationalized most oil holdings, seized Italian possessions. Expulsions of Italians On 21 July 1970 the revolutionary council issued a special law to 'regain wealth stolen from the Libyan people by Italian oppressors' (as stated by Gaddafi in a speech a few days later). With this law, Italians who had long lived in Libya were required to leave the country by 7 October 1970. 7 October would be celebrated as the Day of Revenge, a Libyan national holiday. About 20,000 Italians were expelled from the country.James Hollifield Hollifield James F. https://books.google.com/books?id=pKdYEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT100 Understanding Global Migration Foley Neil 2022-03-01 Stanford University Press 978-1-5036-2958-5 en The coup d'état of Muammar al-Gaddafi (influenced by Gamal Abdel Nasser's Arab nationalism) was driven by the conviction that foreigners were still exploiting Libya, and Gaddafi made their eviction a hallmark of his program. By the end of 1970 all foreign holdings were seized, and nearly all Italians had left the country. Gaddafi officially abolished the celebrations in 2004, after a treaty between Libya and Italy was signed. In 2009 he invited the expelled Italians, as well as their descendants, back to Libya.June 13, 2009 Gaddafi invites back Italians expelled from Libya https://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55C1P920090613 Reuters Italians in Libya December 2023 Italian settlers in Libya Italian refugees from Libya The Italian invasion of Libya dated back to 1911, as a result of Italian ambitions in North Africa. Libya was annexed to the Italian Kingdom with the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which concluded the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–12Sappino Fabio 2025-05-16 Italian Colonialism in Libya https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2722/italian-colonialism-in-libya/ World History Encyclopedia en. For several years, few Italian nationals lived in the new colony. When the Fascist regime gained power in Italy, the colonization of Libya was increased; thousands of Italian settlers poured into the country with promises of free land and financial aid. By 1939, Italians in Libya numbered 108,419 (12.37 percent of the total population) according to census figures; plans envisioned 500,000 Italian settlers by the 1960s. The Italian population was concentrated in the coast around the cities of Tripoli (37 percent of its population) and Benghazi (31 percent). With the Italian defeat in World War II, Italian influence waned as a result. After several years under British mandate, on 24 December 1951 Libya declared its independence as the United Kingdom of Libya (a constitutional, hereditary monarchy under King Idris). Between 1951 (the independence of Libya) and 1970, the Italian population was not granted Libyan citizenship. Although many Italians had already left the former colony, many remained as well (primarily farmers and craftsmen). King Idris was a tolerant monarch, and generally treated the Italian population well. Remembrance The Day of Revenge (ar يوم الانتقام Yūm al-Intiqāmi) was a Libyan holiday celebrating the expulsion of Italians from Libyan soil in 1970.Wells Audrey https://books.google.com/books?id=W2VXEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 The Importance of Forgiveness and the Futility of Revenge: Case Studies in Contemporary International Politics 2022-01-01 Springer Nature 978-3-030-87552-7 en It was cancelled in 2004 after Silvio Berlusconi apologized for Italian colonization in Libya, but reintroduced the next year.Albahari Maurizio Crimes of Peace: Mediterranean Migrations at the World's Deadliest Border 2015 University of Pennsylvania Press 978-0-8122-9172-8 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.9783/9780812291728-003/html en Genealogies of Rescue and Pushbacks 10.9783/9780812291728-003 Paoletti Emanuela The Migration of Power and North-South Inequalities: The Case of Italy and Libya 2010 Palgrave Macmillan UK 978-0-230-29928-3 107–138 en Historical Background on the Agreements between Italy and LibyaJohn Ronald Bruce St Historical Dictionary of Libya 2014 Rowman & Littlefield 978-0-8108-7876-1 175 https://books.google.com/books?id=xIrOAwAAQBAJ&dq=Day+of+revenge+libya&pg=PA175 enWells Audrey The Importance of Forgiveness and the Futility of Revenge: Case Studies in Contemporary International Politics 2022 Springer Nature 978-3-030-87552-7 35 https://books.google.com/books?id=W2VXEAAAQBAJ&q=Day+of+revenge+libya en Later, it was renamed the Day of Friendship because of improvement in Italy–Libya relations.Zoubir Yahia H. Libya and Europe: Economic Realism at the Rescue of the Qaddafi Authoritarian Regime Journal of Contemporary European Studies 2009 17 3 401–415 [403, 411] 10.1080/14782800903339354 153625134 Brambilla Chiara Shifting Italy/Libya Borderscapes at the Interface of EU/Africa Borderland: A "Genealogical" Outlook from the Colonial Era to Post-Colonial Scenarios ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies 2014 13 2 220–245 https://www.acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1005 en 1492-9732Van Genugten Saskia Libya in Western Foreign Policies, 1911–2011 2016 Palgrave Macmillan UK 978-1-137-48950-0 127–146 en Reconciliation and Fighting Islamic Extremism Together See also 1956–1957 exodus and expulsions from Egypt History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi Cultural Revolution in Libya References Bibliography Angelo Del Boca, The Italians in Libya, from Fascism to Gaddafy. Bari: Laterza, 1991. Category:History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi Category:Italy–Libya relations Category:Anti-Italian sentiment Category:1970 in Libya Category:Ethnic cleansing in Africa Category:Racism in Libya