Hundreds demonstrate with bonfires across Transylvania for Szekler autonomy

Csíkszereda, 2017. október 29. Õrtûz ég Csíkszeredában, a Mikó-vár elõtti téren 2017. október 29-én este. Közös imára és õrtüzek gyújtására hívta október 29-re Székelyföld népét Izsák Balázs, a Székely Nemzeti Tanács (SZNT) elnöke. MTI Fotó: Veres Nándor

Due to the stormy wind, heavy rain and the bad weather in general, that paralyze Europe, this year less people attended the Transylvania/Erdély-wide demonstrations on Sunday for Szekler territorial autonomy called for the Szekler/Székely National Council.

In Sepsiszentgyörgy demonstrators gathered at the Turul Monument where they formed the map of Szeklerland from torches.

The head of the Szekler National Council Balázs Izsák read the protest manifesto in the presence of a Catalan flag.

He said a tectonic shift has been taking place in European politics. More and more regions or national communities expressing their desire for self-determination. Whether it is independence or autonomy the international community must review the rigid and obsolete interpretation of the right to self-determination, which currently, only applies to states.

In the name of protesters Izsák once again reiterated the need for territorial autonomy for Szeklerland.

Sepsiszentgyörgy – Szeklerland, photo: MTI

Demonstrators expressed their dissatisfaction with the Romania‘s government’s refusal to engage in dialogue on the autonomy of Szeklerland with the Székely people; in the meantime, they pledged allegiance to Szeklerland including to the the 149 local governments – these issues will be more transparent after the planned referendum.

Zoltán Gazda, President of the Szekler Council of Sepsiszék, emphasized the need for dialogue noting that while the Italian government was ready to negotiate with Veneto and Lombardy provinces for greater autonomy the Spanish government refused to do so regarding the Catalan people.

This could be a lesson for the Romanian government that refused to engage in dialogue with the Szekler community, which can lead to an overflow of emotions.

At end of the event, Unitarian Pastor István Kovács stated that even if the stormy wind blew out the flames of the torches, nothing can extinguish the flame of freedom from the Szekler people’s hearts.