Romanian authorities removed billboard promoting multilingualism

The Dutch resident Transylvanian businessman, Gábor Landman, thinks that it is a cheap objection by the Romanians to remove his billboard urging multilingualism on the ground that it could be confused with road signs, kronika.ro wrote.

With his billboard set up in Gyalu the activist tried to argue in favor of multilingual place signs in Cluj/Kolozsvár. He sent a message to the Mayor: “Mr. Boc! My company needs Schengen, not chauvinism!” Emil Boc, as a Prime Minister, promised Romania would join the Schengen convention.

Gábor Landman told kronika.ro that he bought the advertising place for a month to promote language rights and to advertise his company as well. When he can make sure that it was the Mayor who removed the ad, he will report Boc to the authorities.

According to the businessman, the multilingual place sign could have been a free advertisement for the town. He said that the Romanian politicians have done nothing for the European integration and the Schengen accession. Landman thinks it is unprecedented in Europe that a country refuses to place a free multilingual place sign.

Gábor Landman said that he grew up in the Netherlands, and he is actually Dutch, but he considers himself a European man. He is outraged that the Romanian politics maintains ethnic hatred and chauvinism.

He established his company in 2007. That time he thought that Romania would join Schengen. Now he is disappointed and thinks that the EU members do not trust Romania. That is why it is still not a member of the Schengen area.

The billboard set up on the border of Szászfenes and Gyalu has been removed because it could be confused with road signs, the official explanation of the company wrote. Landman thinks the authorities intimidated the company and he will present a complaint to the Dutch Embassy.

According to kronika.ro, the request could come from the Cluj/Kolozsvár local government, but Iulia Perşă, spokesperson of the Mayor’s Office denied it. She pointed out that the billboard was not in the town area so it did not fall within their competence to take action.

However, Vice-Mayor of Gyalu Szász Károly and local government representative of Szászfalu Ilona Albert said they have not been informed about the removal of the billboard by their settlements.

Photos: MTI

Copy editor: bm

Source: http://www.kronika.ro