Diplomat in Romania protests national anthem fine

Budapest (MTI) – Hungary’s consul general in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, on Friday protested at the county prefect against the fining of an ethnic Hungarian party whose members had sung Hungary’s national anthem at a commemoration event recently.

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“Restricting the right to display national identity this way is unacceptable”, a statement quoted Barna Pal Zsigmond as saying.

The measure goes against human rights and the basic values of the European Union, he added.

Marius Popica, the prefect, told local news website maszol.ro that he had levied the fine of 5000 lei (EUR 1140) for their refusal to sing the Romanian hymn after the Hungarian one at a public event.

Officials of the Hungarian Civic Party (MPP) held a commemoration in Sfantu Gheorge on December 2 to mark the 1920 Trianon Treaty.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters