At the end of the First World War, the figure of the deputy of Rijeka in the Hungarian Parliament stands out: Andrea Ossoinack. He claimed for the city of Rijeka, which he represented in that assembly, the "Principle of nationality" also known as the "Principle of self-determination of peoples", in fact the common platform on which European democracies had been built. Back on 18 October 1918, as a deputy of Rijeka, claiming its Italianness, in the parliament of Budapest he stated (at that time Rijeka was under Hungarian sovereignty): ".......... They want to sacrifice Rijeka to Yugoslavia. In the face of these tendencies, I consider it my duty to protest here, in this sublime room ......... against anyone who wanted to give Rijeka into the hands of the Croats! Because Fiume was not only never Croatian but on the contrary, it was Italian in the past and Italian must remain Italian in the future!" he concluded: "........ Since Austria-Hungary, in its peace proposals, has made its own the principles of the right of self-determination of peoples proclaimed by Wilson, so Fiume claims as a CORPUS SEPARATUM this same right for itself and in conformity claims to full extent to exercise without any limitation the right of self-determination of peoples (protocols of the Hungarian parliament n° 3 and 4 of 18/19-10-1918)" Ossoinack, commenting on that moment, years later, confessed that he was perfectly aware that alone he dared to challenge the pride of the Hungarians in full Parliament, risking soon to end up hanged. On October 30, 1918, "The Italian National Council" was formed to demand the annexation of Rijeka to Italy, in opposition to the "Croatian National Council" which asked for its annexation to the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The population of Rijeka, first among the populations subject to Austro-Hungarian rule, after the declaration of the Hon. Ossoinack rebelled against the Italianness of Fiume, contributing to some extent, to the crumbling of the already faltering Habsburg monarchy.
At the end of the Second World War, Andrea Ossoinack appealed to the ministers of the Italian Republic, denouncing Degasperi's policy of renunciation (as he claimed was De Gasperi's original name) of the Julian lands and of the entire Adriatic, enumerating in various chapters, the unresolved questions starting from the legal situation, the confiscated assets, the nationalized assets, goods in free availability, theft. At the end of the complaint, Ossoinack points out that against the mass of assets forfeited by Yugoslavia considered indemnified in about 130 billion in 1954 currency, a total compensation of 45 billion in current currency had been reached (November 1957). To those who asked him about his political affiliation, the hon. Ossoinack replied: "I am not a fascist", his position was not characterized by being a representative of a party, but by the mandate received from his land. He continued to be always close and attentive to the needs of "his" Rijeka population. After leaving politics he dedicated himself to the activity of industrialist, he decided to move to Venice where he was active among the Julian exiles: an essential point of reference for all his fellow citizens. He later moved to Merano where he died in 1965 at the age of 89.

Franco CONTI